That was Unexpected
by dogsrock101
Summary: Alex, short tempered and hot-headed, is forced to attend Hogwarts. There, she meets a group of boys: the Marauders. Remus is kind and sweet; the opposite of her. They're bound to hate each other, right? But you know the old saying...opposites attract.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey guys! :) This is my first Harry Potter fic (I've written for other sections in Fanfiction). I finally got around to publishing this story-I've been working on it for a while now. I've changed it so many times...and this is my final product!  
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_ I really hope you enjoy it! _

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><p>"Nine and three-quarters?" I said in disbelief, staring at the ticket in my hand.<p>

"This isn't the time to kid around!" Luke snapped. "We're already late as it is!"

"I'm not joking!" I snapped right back. "Look!" I said and shoved the ticket in his face. He let out an indignant little huff but nonetheless took the ticket out of my hand. He looked down and his eyebrows furrowed, his jaw slacking.

"What?"

"See?" I huffed, folding my arms across my chest. "Thanks for believing in me. You make me feel so loved."

He ignored my sarcasm. "There must be a mistake."

"Oh well," I said brightly. "I guess I can't go to Hogfarts! You can go back to school and I'll roam around London; I've always wanted to go here!"

"You are NOT roaming around London ON YOUR OWN," my brother hissed. "You'd probably commit a murder or something."

I scowled. "I'd travel around and THEN murder someone."

He rolled his eyes, starting to walk again. "I know you would."

"Thank you!" I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"This isn't the time to be arguing!" he said suddenly, as if just realizing it. "We need to find this nine and three-quarters!"

"I thought you were a wizard, Luke," I said in a fake sweet little voice. "Shouldn't you be able to find a nine and three-quarters platform? You are, after all, 'one of the brightest wizards the world has seen'," I said, quoting my dad.

He rolled his eyes. "Hah, funny."

"I know, I'm a pretty funny person."

"It's something called sarcasm."

"Don't you think I know what sarcasm is?"

"Oh, trust me, I know you know what sarcasm is," he said as he looked around, continuing to walk. "Now c'mon, we have to find this platform!"

"You, Mister Oh Brilliant Wizard, should easily find a magical platform."

"Will you shush?" he hissed, glaring at me. "People will hear!"

I rolled my eyes. "Nobody believes that wizards exist, I mean seriously-"I was interrupted when he pulled my arm, dragging me. "Hey!" I snapped, tugging my arm free of his grasp. "What is your problem?"

"I think I just saw some wizards," my brother breathed, starting to jog. I sighed and chased after him, my suitcase banging against my thigh.

"How do you know they're wizards? Did they have those pointy hats?"

I saw him roll his eyes. "No, I heard them say something about Muggles and how if they-"

"Ooh, eavesdropping on their conversation, were you?"

He let out an irritated sigh and I smirked slightly. "C'mon, we have no more time to lose!" he said and when I thought he was going to speed up, he abruptly stopped. This allowed me to ram right into his back.

"Ow, what the hell, Luke?" I snarled angrily, walking around to glare up next to him. He didn't respond, but placed his hand on my back. I looked at it over my shoulder, feeling an eyebrow shoot up. "What the fu-"

I couldn't finish my sentence. He had pushed me toward the wall.

I squeezed my eyes shut, unable to stop myself in the short distance, but didn't feel anything. I opened my eyes to find swarms of people surrounding me and a black train was off to the right, full of kids waving out the windows.

"It worked!" the familiar voice of my brother came from behind me. I turned around to see him looking around, smiling in amazement.

"Did we just go THROUGH that damn wall?" I said incredulously and my eyes hurt from going too wide.

"Yup," he said proudly, nodding. "I saw a few people go through it and I just figured it out."

"Oh, so smart," I said, rolling my eyes. The train whistled loudly before he could answer.

"It's a minute until eleven!" Luke cried out suddenly and he grabbed my wrist again.

"Let go!" I shouted, snatching my wrist away from him.

"Then HURRY UP!" he shouted back and I glared at him before turning around. I pushed past all the people, which I realized were parents, occasionally shouting at them to move. I finally made it out, somehow alive, only to hear the train whistle again, this time real loud. And it started to move.

Shit.

I ran and jumped onto it, grabbing onto the little handle by the doorway.

"You better do your work!" I heard Luke shout after me as I stepped into the train. I laughed loudly and flipped him the bird. I saw nearly all the parents' mouths drop, or at least the ones that had seen me. I would've loved to see his reaction, but everything was too blurry now.

I sighed and turned around, starting to walk along the passage. I glanced into the compartments as I walked and wondered if there was an empty one. They were full of chattering people, ranging from nervous ten year olds to suave eighteen year olds.

A group of boys ran passed me, laughing and shouting at one another. One of them actually winked at me. I didn't have much time to react, since this huge group of giggling girls came running down the hall too, one of them hitting my suitcase out of my hand.

"Hey!" I shouted after them angrily. "Watch where you're walking!"

A few of them glanced back at me, then at each other, actually seeming to be thinking about something. They said something to each other before continuing to chase after their friends. I rolled my eyes and heaved up my suitcase off the floor.

I continued to walk down the hallway, glancing at the compartments. I was defeated by the end of the carriage, tired and sick of carrying my twenty pound suitcase. I looked into the last compartment to find three girls sitting there, talking to one another. They should be able to fit another person. I slid open the door and closed it behind me.

"Hey, do you mind if I sit here with you guys?" I asked and they all stared at me.

"Go ahead!" one of them said. She was the prettiest of them all with dark red hair and bright green eyes.

"Thanks," I said and threw my suitcase up onto the rack. They started to chat again as I sat down but I noticed that the one next to me was still staring at me. Annoyed, I looked at her and said, "What?"

She looked a bit surprised. "Oh, nothing, it's just that…you're an American, aren't you?"

"Yeah," I said and paused for a moment, narrowing my eyes at her. "Is that a problem?"

"No of course not!" she said and shook her blonde hair, which was a few shades lighter than my own. "There's just never been an American at Hogwarts before!"

"Never?"

"Never."

"I'll hopefully be the last," I grumbled and the three girls exchanged looks.

"Hogwarts is a great place to be!" the third girl piped up. She had short brown hair and light blue eyes. "You should be excited!"

I snorted. "I'd rather be at home, enjoying my senior year of high school. Man, I would've ruled that damn school with my friends."

"Your senior year?" Blondie asked curiously. "You don't seem like an elderly person to me."

And this was why we blondes were always referred to as 'dumb'. "A senior as in a senior in high school."

"What's high school?"

"Okay, that's not even funny. Don't mess with me," I snapped angrily. Damn bitch was trying to make me look stupid.

"A high school is where Muggles attend to school for their last four years," the redhead explained to the idiotic blonde calmly. "My sister's in her senior year, too."

I looked at her curiously. "What's a Muggle?"

Everybody looked surprised. "A Muggle is a non-magical person," the redhead explained.

"Oh…so like a normal person?"

Blondie and the brunette exchanged looks but the redhead laughed good-naturedly. "Yeah, you can think of it as that."

"How did you not know what a Muggle was?" Blondie asked all snottily.

"How did you not know what a high school was?" I snapped right back and the brunette giggled. Blondie scrunched her nose and lifted her chin.

"Hmm…so…you're an exchange student from America?" the redhead asked thoughtfully, looking at me.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. My parents are making me come here."

She frowned in confusion. "But…wouldn't you have to start off as a first year?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know what year you're going to be in?" the brunette asked me.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'year'? What year am I graduating? I don't understand the question," I frowned.

"Hah, you don't know what a year is?" Blondie said, rolling her eyes, and I felt a vein in my forehead pop.

"Do you really want to start something with me?"

"It was just a simple question," she said, giving me an all too fake smile.

"A year is like a grade," the redhead said and I looked at her to find that she was giving her blonde friend a warning look. I smirked slightly and looked out of the corner of my eye to see Blondie lean back in the chair, crossing her arms across her chest. "So, right now, we're all…eleventh graders."

"Oh, all right. That makes sense."

"But at Hogwarts, we would be sixth years. First years are usually ten year olds."

"So you skip kindergarten to fourth grade?" I gaped and she nodded. "That's not fair! I had to suffer five more years than you guys!"

The redhead and the brunette laughed but Blondie let out a little huff. "Yes, I guess if you look at it that way."

"I'm still confused, though," the brunette frowned. "You would be in your seventh year, then, wouldn't you? I don't think that Professor Dumbledore would allow a student to just skip six years and come to Hogwarts for the first time in their last year."

The door slid open and we all turned to find a guy, probably as old as the girls in the compartment, grinning at the doorway. He had messy dark brown hair and circular glasses propped on his nose. His grin was mischievous and kind of cute, in a way. "I found you, Lily!"

The redhead groaned loudly. "Go away, Potter!"

"Why didn't you return any of the letters I sent you? Surely you got them?" he asked, looking all sad.

"Oh, those letters? I threw them all in the fire," she said and I looked at her, surprised at her attitude.

"You should've sent ME letters, James," Blondie purred. "I would've written back each time."

He laughed, though a bit uneasily. "Yeah, I should've. Guess I forgot."

I snickered and everyone looked at me. "What?"

Blondie narrowed her eyes at me before looking back at Glasses-boy. He wasn't paying attention to her. Instead, his eyes were looking at me curiously.

"Be careful," the redhead said to me, leaning over the cushioned seat. "He'll probably try snogging with you."

I furrowed my eyebrows and opened my mouth to ask what the hell snogging meant, but Glasses-boy beat me to it. "Oh Lily dear, I would never do such a thing! My heart belongs to you and only you!"

She laughed dryly. "If it did, I would've chucked it out the window by now." Ouch. That's gotta hurt. Much to my surprise, he was still grinning.

"Oh c'mon, you know you want to go out with me! Half the school does!"

"Wait…so all the guys at school want to go out with you?" I asked and the compartment was immediately filled with peals of giggles. His face turned red from either anger or embarrassment. Or both.

"There you are, Prongs!" another guy said, poking his head through the doorway. Oh Lord have mercy. This guy was SMOKIN' hot! He had black, long curly hair that went a little above his shoulders. He had bright blue-grey eyes and a silly little grin on his face that made him all the more appealing. He was taller than the other boy and about as lean as him. "Ah, you found Lily!"

"Sirius!" Blondie squealed, jumping up from the seat. "It's been so long!" she said and tried to give him a hug but he laughed and walked behind Glasses-boy.

"It sure has! How've you been?" he asked conversationally but I couldn't help the smirk; it was obvious he was trying to avoid the hug from our beloved Blondie.

"I've been wonderful!" she replied, still trying to hug him. "Why don't you come on in so we-"

"No," the redhead said and Glasses-boy frowned.

"Oh c'mon! I have so much to tell you about my summer!"

"Of course," she huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. "It always has to be about _you_."

"Hey, who's that girl?" the hot kid asked, pointing at me. I raised an eyebrow, annoyed that he hadn't asked me directly and spoke as if I wasn't even there.

"I'm Alex," I said and the two boys looked a bit surprised, though I didn't know why.

"Alex?" Blondie said and turned to face me, finally giving up on hugging the kid. "That's a boy's name."

"It's a girl's name too."

"But it's mainly a guy's name."

I half rose from my seat and started to say, "You better watch-" but I was cut off by the hottie that Blondie had been attempting to hug.

"You're American, aren't you?"

"Yes," I hissed, only half-listening, my eyes too trained on that damn Blondie and her annoying ass smirk.

"Oh yes, Americans, always the ones to immediately jump to conclusions and violence," Blondie said in that snobby voice and smirked widely. Yeah, the U.S. government was a complete joke. Damn it, I wouldn't be surprised if security cameras were watching our every move in a few years' time. And Nixon, god, Richard Nixon…don't even get me started on that Watergate Scandal. But that was the government, not the people!

She was definitely insulting the people. I stood up completely and looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"Marlene," the redhead said warningly. "Don't go around insulting people's countries. You wouldn't be very happy if somebody insulted England, would you?"

"But England is perfect," she said, not removing her eyes from mine.

"Hah, you're not only funny looking, but you have a good sense of humor too!"

The boys snickered and Blondie went pink in the cheeks. "Americans," she spat, "act like they're the only humans on the planet! You all think that you own this entire world! Lazy, arrogant arses you all are!"

That did it. I pounced.

Adrenaline pumped through my veins, anger filled me to the very pit of my stomach, my right hand raised, clenched into a fist-

I saw her eyes widen before I rammed her against the glass door and I heard a loud crack. My left hand wound around the collar of her shirt, lifting her head off the door to reveal a large crack in the glass door. She wasn't even bleeding. Not yet, at least.

I heard people shout at me, the boys ran into the compartment, somebody grabbed my right fist, somebody else grabbed me around the waist but I kicked her, I kicked that damn bitch, teach her a lesson she would never forget-

"Insult me ONE MORE TIME!" I screamed at Blondie as she got up, the redhead and brunette at her sides. They were exiting the compartment, Blondie looking frightened as the two spoke to her. I escaped the grip of the two boys, running straight for her and saw that another boy was blocking the doorway. I raised my arms, ready to push him out of the way, ready to hurt that damn Blondie. Shouts pounded around me but only one truly rang through, from the boy that was in the doorway, jumping back as I made it passed the door and he withdrew a wooden stick from his pocket.

"IMMOBULUS!"

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><p>"…never seen a student do such a thing!" the lady rambled on, her thin eyebrows furrowed deeply. She was a middle-aged woman with emerald green robes and dark brown hair knotted up in a tight bun. She had thin lips, square glasses, and a very angry face.<p>

I sighed. "Look, lady, are you going to expel me or not? 'Cause if you are, please hurry up and do it. I have to get home to watch a television show I've been-"

"Have you been listening to a single word I've said?" she asked, her voice going slightly higher.

"Not really," I answered honestly and it looked like her head would explode. "Hey, you're the one who asked."

"I hope Professor Dumbledore knows what he's getting himself into," she mumbled, rubbing her fingers on her temple.

"I do quite well know what I'm doing, Minerva," a soft voice came off from behind me and I turned around to see an old man walking into the room. His blue eyes seemed to twinkle behind his glasses that were shaped like half-moons and rested on his long, crooked nose. He had long white hair and a long, silvery-white beard and mustache. He wore maroon robes that dragged along the room as he walked. "Sorry, I would've knocked."

"It's not a problem," the lady said hastily behind me. I would've looked back at her but I preferred the old man, who was now smiling at me. "But Professor, do you truly realize how much work this child is going to be?"

I glared at her over my shoulder and she raised her eyebrows at me. The old man chuckled quietly and I looked back at him. "It's not everyday I get a student from somewhere halfway across the world."

"But why would she come all the way over here when there are plentiful of schools for young witches and wizards in America?"

"I'm right here, you know," I mumbled, annoyed that she continued to say 'she'.

"Your father," the old man said, looking at me, "wrote to me in a letter telling me that none of the magic schools in America would accept you," he said and I snorted. "But that's only because you, well," he smiled, "didn't know a thing about magic."

"I still don't know anything about magic."

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Your father told me that he would make you study all summer long."

I sighed at the memory. "I did, though not willingly." I was forced to do a bunch of little spells with my brother and my dad's house. It was probably the worst summer I've ever had.

"Then we're all set," he said and clasped his hands together. "Come along now, we've got to get you Sorted."

I opened my mouth to ask what he meant by that but the lady interrupted me. "But Professor, I don't think that you can overlook the fact that she attacked someone on the train earlier today!"

"Ah, right," he said. "A week's worth of detention would do, no?"

"Everyday this week?" I asked lazily.

"Yes, including the weekend," he said and nodded. Honestly, that wasn't too bad. "And I best not be seeing any more fighting from you," he said, his voice suddenly sterner. I didn't respond, because if I did, I would've told him that that would be highly unlikely. I couldn't promise anything.

"You shall come to my office everyday at around five o'clock," the lady behind me said.

"Okay."

"Now, let us go to my office," the old man said to me and turned around, starting to walk off. I followed him out of the room and we walked down the long corridor, taking many sharp turns. We walked up a bunch of stairs until he stopped walking. I stopped as well, turning to see a stone gargoyle in front of us.

"Lemon custards," he said and I looked at him, raising an eyebrow, wondering if he was hungry. Then I heard some sort of movement and turned to see that the gargoyle had moved. As if that wasn't weird enough, a long stone staircase was rising from the floor. The old man quickly walked on, gesturing for me to do the same. I did and found myself on stone steps that continued to rise in a circular motion. It was like an escalator.

It stopped and we got off, walking a few more steps before he opened up a pair of double doors. He stepped in, holding open the door for me. I thanked him and walked inside the circular room. Many paintings of people covered the wall and a bunch of books covered the shelves. There was one big, rectangular desk in the center of the room and a big red bird appeared to be sleeping away.

The old man started to walk around the room as I continued to look around. He came back a moment later holding a raggedy black old hat, one of those pointy black ones that wizards wear (I can't believe they seriously do).

"Let me explain to you a few things before I have you try this on," he said. "You will soon be Sorted into a house. Let me continue," he added as he saw me open my mouth. "Your house is like your family at your stay here at Hogwarts. You will have classes with your house, sleep in the same dormitory, and spend your free time in your house common room. The four houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Each house has its founder and noble history. At the end of year, there is a house point ceremony and the house with the most points wins the house cup. You can earn or lose points for your house, depending on your behavior."

Well that was it. My house was going to lose.

"Now put this on," he said and handed the hat to me. I took it and put it on my head, wondering what would happen.

"Hmm, you're an interesting one," a quiet voice murmured in my ear. WHAT THE FU- "Watch your language, now," it said sternly. Wait a second, was the HAT talking? That was the only thing it could be! The old man chuckled at my expression.

"Don't worry," he said reassuringly and I frowned but said nothing.

"Really, really difficult," the hat continued. "Hmm…"

I sighed. Will this thing hurry up and pick a freakin' house?

"Don't rush me. You're a very difficult one, you see. Slytherin or Gryffindor…Slytherin or Gryffindor…"

Wait a second…did this hat just read my mind?

"Yes, I did, now be quiet, let me think…"

WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON HERE? I nearly ripped the hat off my head but I had to admit that my curiosity got the best of me. The hat was chuckling.

"Silly girl, you are. I don't get many students like you anymore. I think I've made my decision…SLYTHERIN!"

The old man took it off my head and walked off again, returning a moment later. "Slytherin is a wonderful house," he smiled. "Professor Slughorn is Head of it. Professor McGonagall, the woman you were speaking to earlier, is Head of Gryffindor."

"What about you?"

"I'm Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts."

"Oh. I'm Alex Piers, though I'm sure you already know that."

He chuckled and nodded. "Yes. So, you're going to be starting your sixth year of Hogwarts tomorrow."

I frowned. "Sixth? This girl on the train told me that I'd be in the seventh year, since I would be a senior in high school right now. My last year," I added in case he too didn't know what a senior was.

"Yes, technically you would, but you're not quite so advanced on your magic skills. You need to learn what the sixth years will be learning. Really, I would've loved to have you start off in your first year…but your father informed that you would study throughout the summer. And besides, I don't think you would want to be stuck with ten year olds," he smiled.

"Yeah, you got that right."

He chuckled. "I think that's all you need to know. Oh, yes, since you weren't at the start of the term banquet…let me tell you a few things. Firstly, the forbidden forest if off limits and magic in the halls is not permitted. Quidditch try outs will be held in the second week of the term."

"What's Quidditch?"

"Quidditch is a sport played by wizards and witches. It involves flying in the air on broomsticks and scoring goals. You could try out if you'd like, but you might want to learn how to fly first," he smiled.

I laughed. "Yeah, I didn't even know that wizards actually ride broomsticks. So I don't think that'll work out."

He shrugged. "Some people are natural born players. You might be one of them. It might be nice to channel that energy of yours into Quidditch."

"I'll consider it."

"I suppose you best be off to bed now. Your luggage will be in your dormitory."

"And how do I get to the dormitory?"

"Ah, yes. Phineas," he said and turned to a portrait on the wall. "Will you kindly escort Miss. Piers to the Slytherin Common Room?"

The very next thing that happened made me yelp. The man in the portrait stood up lazily from his chair and looked at me uninterestedly. He had a black beard and a mustache along with black hair.

"What are you yelping on about, girl?"

"You…what…the drawing's talking!" I said in disbelief to nobody in particular, pointing at it. That was impossible. I mean, PORTRAITS CAN'T TALK!

"Of course I'm talking!" he huffed. "What kind of portrait doesn't?"

"All of them!" I said, still unable to believe what I was seeing. It couldn't be possible. Then again, I guess it could be…after all, there was a talking hat.

"Ah, Muggle-born, are you?" he asked, distaste in his voice.

"My mom's one but my dad's not. Apparently."

"Half-blood, then. Interesting how you made it into Slytherin. The house appears to be losing its taste."

"Phineas," Dumbledore said with a slight edge to his voice and the drawing sighed.

"Fine. C'mon, girl, let's go," he said and walked off to the right, disappearing from the picture frame. I frowned and glanced around. "Over here!" a voice came behind me and I turned to see that he had moved into another portrait. There was another portrait of a person inside that frame, and she appeared to be yelling at the intruder.

"Good night," Dumbledore said to me from behind.

"Good night," I said as I exited the room, following the little portrait man. We went down a bunch of staircases and ended up in what appeared to be the dungeons.

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" I asked the portrait man-Phineas, I think-who appeared to be out of breath from all the portrait-jumping.

"Of course I'm sure," he snapped. "Silly girl, you think I don't know where my own house common room is?"

"Well how am I supposed to know?" I snapped right back at him. "What kind of idiot puts a common room in the DUNGEONS?"

This only appeared to make him angrier. "Do NOT call Salazar Slytherin an idiot!"

"Who's that?"

He groaned loudly, smacking his palm into his face. "The founder of Slytherin! Without him we wouldn't be here!"

"Which means that I would be back home, where wizards only came around for Halloween."

"Exactly. Now, go up to that stretch of wall," he said and I walked toward the wall he was pointing at it. "And say 'snakeskin'."

"Snakeskin," I said, feeling stupid. But then something happened. A concrete door that had been blending in with the wall slowly moved over to the right and stopped. I glanced over at Phineas. "Is that supposed to happen?"

He rolled his painted eyes. "Of course it is. This is the Slytherin Common Room. I believe the girls' dormitory is off on the right. Now, the password is changed every fortnight, so remember to look at the notice board hung up in the room. Off you go!"

"Bye," I said and walked passed the open doorway and I heard the stone door moving back into its position. What I walked into was a room that looked more like a fancy dungeon. Green lamps hung from ceilings and a large fire crackled away in the black fireplace. Above the fireplace hung a stone snake as a decoration, its eyes glinted green. Black sofas surrounded it and a few green circular tables were scattered across the room.

Whoever made this place must've really loved the color green.

I started to walk off toward the right, recalling what the painting had told me to do. Well, that sounded weird to think about; taking orders from a portrait. Maybe I was starting to go crazy.

Either way, I walked through an open stone entrance and walked along to find many beds, beds with green curtains surrounding the right and left side of the bed, filled with sleeping girls. I walked along until I found the only open bed, one with my suitcase on top. I took down the suitcase and didn't even bother to change into my pajamas as I climbed into bed.

I yawned and put the covers and blankets over myself, rolling over to my side. I was tired, very tired. And I wanted to go home so badly. I wanted to see my friends. I hadn't seen them in months, since my damn dad forced me over to his house to practice this stupid magic. I already made an enemy at this school and I bet the rumors had spread by now. But honestly, I don't care what they say. Because I was getting out.

I was getting out of this school. Soon.

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><p><em>So, how was it? Yes, I do realize that I didn't really put Lupin in yet. But no worries, he's coming up next!<br>_

_Please review!_


	2. Chapter 2

"…up! Wake up!" somebody was hissing in a British accent. "You're going to be late for class!"

I ignored the annoying person and immediately felt myself losing consciousness, ready to continue my wonderful dream-

Until the bitch ripped my blankets off me.

"What the hell is your problem?" I growled, still keeping my eyes closed, curling up my legs. "Let me sleep in peace."

"First period is going to start in no more than ten minutes!" she snapped in response. "So get your lazy arse off the bed!"

"I'll just skip class," I said as I yawned and I wondered if she even understood what I said.

"You will not! Now GET UP!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

I guess that was the final straw for her because she suddenly rolled me off the bed and I hit the floor. I quickly opened my eyes and sat up, glaring at the girl across the bed.

"Bitch."

Her eyebrows rose sharply. "Excuse me?"

Despite how amusingly awesome she sounded with her British accent, I snapped, "I haven't had much sleep in these past few days, you know! Give me a break!"

She paused for a moment, scrutinizing me. "Are you that American girl that beat up McKinnon?"

"The blonde girl?" I asked as I rubbed my eyes tiredly.

"Yes, the annoying little Gryffindor," she spat hatefully. "Filthy excuse for a pureblood."

"Oh?" I said uninterestedly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some unfinished sleeping to attend to…" I said and climbed back into bed.

"Are you daft?" she said incredulously as I rolled over, my back facing her. "I told you, class is going to start in no time!"

"Do I look like I care?" I said and snorted, wrapping the blanket around me. "If you're so worried, then go to class on your own," I said as I threw the blanket over my head, shielding the bright light streaming in through the windows. "I'll sleep."

"I am a school prefect," she said in a snobby, matter-of-a-fact tone. "And as much as I'd love for you to stay here and sleep, I have to make sure that all students get to class. So. Get. Off. The. Bed."

"No," I said stubbornly and closed my eyes, another yawn escaping from my lips. That should do it; I was sure the girl would be fed up by now and leave me alone. And I could finally go back to sleep, about a dream that had something to do with cupcakes and talking pumpkins…

But, of course, things never go to my liking.

Instead of sleeping comfortably underneath my warm blankets, I was lifted up in the air, blankets slipping off. My eyes opened in alert and I let out a yelp as I looked at the floor below me.

I struggled and screamed, "Let me down!"

And so she did. I crashed to the floor with a loud thud and I groaned loudly, grabbing onto my stinging back.

"You broke my back, bitch!" I shouted angrily, feeling the temper in me flare.

"It was the only way I could get your lazy arse off the bed," she sneered. "And I was easy on you, compared to the things I've done to get girls out of bed."

The way she said it just...could be easily taken the wrong way.

"What kinds of things did you do?" I asked and I felt a smirk dance on my lips. "You don't come off as the dirty type."

She raised her eyebrows and looked quite shocked at my response. "Ew. What is wrong with you?" she asked, her face screwing up in disgust. I laughed loudly. "Anyways, get dressed. Since you missed breakfast, you're going to need to go to Professor Slughorn's room and get your schedule from him."

I stared at her blankly for a moment before I burst out in a fit of laughter. "S-Slughorn? W-what kind of name is that?" I managed to say between giggles. Slughorn? I imagined a big, ugly green slug with horns on its squishy head. It was a pretty amusing sight.

"Yes, Professor Slughorn, Head of Slytherin," she responded calmly, though I saw a smirk on her bony face. "It is an amusing name, I must say."

Oh yeah. The old man- Dumbledore -said something about him last night. I couldn't remember much from last night; it all seemed like a foggy dream.

And the wave of reality splashed onto my face: I was in Hogfarts, a magic school, and wizards and witches really did exist. And I had to stay here for the next year.

…

Wait a second. I was going to runaway! I had been planning that out ever since my dad told me that I was going to this stupid school! But at the time, I didn't know how huge this damn school was. Hell, it was a freaking castle! Literally!

A dry hand that was waving in my face snapped me out of my thoughts. I shoved the hand out of my sight, blinking a few times, and shot an annoyed look at the girl. She shot me a look in return, huffing and securing the book in her hands.

"You're going to make me late."

"Then why don't you just go?" I hissed and without another word, she shoved passed me and left the room. I sighed wearily and combed through my hair as I yawned again. Damn, why was I so tired? It obviously was way past six o'clock, the usual time I had to wake up for school, and yet I felt like a ton of steel was resting on my shoulders. Then again, I did always feel like this even if I did wake up at noon on the weekend.

The bell rang and I sighed.

First day of school, here I come.

* * *

><p>I walked through the open door and glanced around the room curiously. It kind of reminded me of a science lab, what with the long desks and all.<p>

"…Yes, ma boy, I do think…."

"Thank you, sir, I…"

I looked to the right to find a man with a bulging belly and a boy probably around sixteen talking to one another. I walked toward them, adjusting the bag swinging from my shoulder that contained all my books.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Slughorn?" I interrupted and they both turn to face me. The first thing they both do is look at me from head to toe, as if they've never seen anything like me before.

"Yes, that I am," the man said, turning to face me, smiling. He had short brown hair that was starting to gray and was balding. The edges of his thick mustache were graying too. He kind of reminded me of a mix between walrus, a toad, and somewhat a slug. He wore long black robes that had him appear shorter than he already was. "I'm assuming that you are Alexandria Piers?"

"It's Alex," I corrected automatically. I must've sounded ruder than I thought because both of them raised their eyebrows.

"My apologies," Slughorn said. "Dear, why are you not in your school uniform? It is required that all students-"

"Yeah, I know," I interrupted irritably. "I've asked a few teachers how to get to this room and all of them have said the same thing."

"Then why haven't you changed?"

"Because I don't know how to get back to the dorm!" I snapped, thoroughly annoyed. He raised his eyebrows again but chuckled and patted me on my shoulder.

The boy was still standing there. He had dark brown hair and bushy eyebrows. He wore a a black robe too, and it was open to reveal a grey vest over a white shirt. His necktie was folded neatly beneath his grey vest and I could see the colors; blue with white stripes. Everything about his attire was so...neat. It annoyed me, but it didn't annoy me as much as the way he was looking at me. He looked extremely uncomfortable and was obviously avoiding eye contact with me as if I was some sort of vicious creature that was going to lunge at him at any second.

"Calm down, Miss. Piers, I understand. You don't need to wear your uniform for the rest of the day, but you must from now on," Slughorn said and I looked away from the boy to look at him.

"Whatever," I grumbled and crossed my arms across my chest. "Can I have my schedule now?"

"Oh, yes, of course!" he said, jumping up a bit. "Why weren't you at breakfast this morning, dear?" he asked as he walked over to his desk and opened some drawers.

"I slept in."

"Oho!" …Oho? What the hell? "Just remember to get up from now on!"

"What time does class even start?" I asked as he walked back over to me and handed me a piece of thick, yellow paper. Wait, wasn't this parchment? What-who the hell used _parchment_ nowadays? We used that when the Declaration of Independence was written; not 1976! He opened his mouth to answer but I interrupted, shaking the paper-parchment thing in his face. "Is this parchment?"

He frowned. "Yes."

"What? Why don't you use paper?" I asked and frowned deeply, eyebrows crinkling in confusion. "You guys are really outdated for the fact that you can all use magic."

"Err…I don't quite understand…" he said and scratched the back of his fat neck. The boy looked at me curiously and I glanced over at him, annoyed.

"What are you still doing here, pal?"

He jumped a bit and flushed. "I-I didn't realize-er…I'll see you later, sir," he said and started to walk away.

"Wait! Dirk, ma boy!" he called out, much to my displeasure, and the boy turned around to face Slughorn curiously. "Don't you have History of Magic next?"

"Yes, sir," he said in a confused voice.

"Perfect!" he said and clapped his chubby hands, smiling jovially. Hey, this guy was actually nice. I felt a little bad for being so bitchy. "You and Miss. Piers can go together!" he said and I saw the boy's face drop a bit but he quickly smiled.

"Of course, sir," he said and looked at me. "Shall we?"

"I-how am I supposed to write on this parchment?" I asked and looked back at Slughorn curiously. Many students were piling into the classroom and taking their seats, chatting to one another.

"We're going to be late, Miss. Piers," I heard the boy said in a bit of a panicked voice.

"Did you just call me Miss. Piers?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, glancing back at him over my shoulder. "Who the hell-"

"Language, Miss. Piers!"

"-calls people their age with a 'Miss'?" Unbelievable. Yes, I was grateful he didn't call me Alexandria, but Miss. Piers? Seriously? "Just call me Alex."

He nodded in response and looked away.

"Don't be worry about being late, ma boy!" Slughorn said happily, making me smile. "Just tell Professor Binns that I kept you two behind." I heard the boy grumble something in return. "Now, Miss. Piers, surely you've bought a quill?" Slughorn asked, his watery toad-like eyes back on me.

"Uh…I don't know, maybe. I don't have it with me now, that's for sure."

"Then Dirk shall just lend you one of his, no?" he asked and glanced back at him.

"Of course, sir." Every single time he spoke to Slughorn, he said sir. What a polite young gentleman.

"Good," he said and clapped his hands again. "Now, go off to class, you two," he said and shooed us away. I followed the boy out of the classroom and walked up beside him.

"Hey, can we walk a little slower, dude?" I asked as we fast-walked through the hallway. It still amazed me to no end how wide these hallways were-at least five times wider than the ones at my school. No, ten times! He glanced over at me, looking annoyed, but slowed down nonetheless. "Good, now we're actually walking like normal people."

"We're going to be late for class," he said and sounded strained.

I snorted loudly. "So what?"

He looked at me with wide eyes. "I've never been late before! Never in my entire five years of Hogwarts!"

"It's time you started to slack off a bit," I said and he didn't respond. We walked in silence for a few moments, which made me quite uncomfortable. "So, what's your name?" I asked conversationally.

"Dirk Cresswell."

"I'm Alex Piers, as you already know," I said and nodded to him. "You're a sixth year too?"

He nodded. "Yes." A few moments of silence followed as our shoes clicked against the glossy floor.

"Not very talkative, are you?"

He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "Why do I have reason to talk to you?"

"Excuse me?"

My tone seemed to shut him up and he looked forward again, taking a sharp left. I followed and we went up a flight of stairs.

"Damn; I thought my school was huge!" I said and looked up at the unreachable ceiling, wondering how the janitors switched the light bulbs. Then again, I doubt this place uses electricity; everything was all medivalish.

He actually chuckled a little. "Yes, it is quite an amazing sight, isn't it?"

"Tell me about it."

The bell rung loudly and he jumped a bit, fear itched across his face. "No! We're late!" he said in agony, as if it pained him. This made me laugh.

"One tardy isn't going to kill your GPA, hun."

He looked at me curiously. "What is a GPA?"

I frowned. "Grade point average. What, you guys don't have it in magic schools?"

"Not in Britain itself; we use different school systems from America, I suppose," he said and shrugged. "So, what exactly is a 'grade point average'?"

"Well, it's this thing that calculates your grades all throughout high school." I paused for a moment, recalling how the girls on the train didn't know what that was. "Do you know what a high school is?" I asked and he nodded. "Okay, good. So anyways, it changes as your grades change. If you get straight A's, you get a 4.0-so it's the highest one you can get."

"And what exactly do these do? I mean, how do they help you?"

"Colleges let you join depending on your GPA and SAT grades."

"What is your GPA?" he asked curiously.

"3.4," I said proudly and he nodded.

"Ah, here we are!" he said suddenly and stopped in front of a door. I stopped too and followed him into the classroom. All the desks were facing the front, where something transparent was speaking in a monotonous tone…

Wait what?

"What the hell is that?" I hissed, grabbing onto Dirk's sleeve and tugging on it.

"That's Professor Binns," he whispered back. "He's the teacher."

"What the hell _is_ he? Why's he all...transparent?"

He opened his mouth to answer but a sneering voice interrupted, "Hey Professor, look who just came in late!"

Professor Binns or whatever looked up from his book and looked at us, blinking. He can't be a ghost. He just can't. Ghosts. Aren't. Real. Maybe he's just a telo…telotransparent thing. Oh I don't know!

"Why are you late, Mr…Cirkwens and Miss...Hailkons?"

…did he just call me Miss. Hailkons?

"Professor Slughorn kept us in, sir," the brunette boy responded immediately. The transparent teacher robot thing nodded.

"Well then, take your seats…"

There were a few empty seats left, and I immediately took the one that was closest to the back. I heard the monotonous voice continue to read as Dirk sat beside me. He seemed to be mouthing to a boy and a girl across the room.

"Are those your friends?" I asked him once he was done mouthing to them and started to take out a piece of parchment.

"Yeah," he said as he set down a bottle of ink and a quill.

"Cool. You can go sit by them if you want," I offered.

He looked at me curiously. "Do you want me to?" He sounded mildly offended.

I raised my eyebrows. Wasn't he just looking at me like I was about to kill him? "No, I'd rather have you stay here, but I don't want you to be uncomfortable or anything."

"I'm not uncomfortable," he said as he dipped his quill into the bottle of ink. "I'm quite intrigued, actually."

"And why would that be?"

He stopped, quill in midair, and faced me. A wide grin was plastered on his features, and it was kind of cute, like a little kid. "You haven't beaten me up yet."

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Before he could answer, the same sneering voice that had called Dirk and I out when we walked in, said from behind, "Talking during class, are we, Cresswell?"

I turned around to face a skinny blond boy sitting beside another boy, this one a bit chubby, with short black hair.

"Just ignore him," I heard Dirk mutter.

"Ooh, too scared to talk to me, are you?" the blond said, "or even face me?"

"Why would he want to face something so ugly?"

Dirk snickered at this and the blond's face flushed. "Standing up for your boyfriend, are you?" he said, obviously angered from my comment. "Don't know why you'd want to stand up for a filthy Mudblood like him."

I saw Dirk stiffen up from the corner of my eye and he started to vigorously write away at his parchment.

"What's a Mudblood?" I asked confusedly and the blond's eyes widened.

"You don't know what a Mudblood is? Hah, then you must be one yourself! Hear that, Mulciber? Our new American student is a Mudblood!" he laughed, jabbing the chubby boy in the stomach with his elbow.

"What's a Mudblood?" I asked again, starting to get agitated from his laughs.

"A Mudblood," Dirk said and I turned to face him, surprised to find how angry he looked. Through clenched teeth he said, "is what we Muggle-born wizards are called by those who think they are better than us."

"Because we are," the chubby black haired boy said.

I was so confused. "How can you be a wizard if your parents are normal?"

"Normal?" the blond scoffed. "Muggles aren't _normal_-they're a waste of space, a waste of time! Weak and stupid, they all are."

I turned to face him so quickly that my neck cricked. I could feel the blood pulsing against my veins, my hands curling up into fists. "What did you just say?"

He smirked and looked like he was enjoying himself. "Ah, so you are a filthy little Mudblood, are you?"

"I'm a half-blood, I think. My dad's a wizard and my mom's not," I said, though I could still feel the blood pulsing against me. "And stop saying that," I added, noticing the way Dirk continued to tense.

"Nearly as bad as a Mudblood," he hissed as if he hadn't heard me tell him to stop saying that. "Your dad must've been desperate to go after a Muggle. I bet he was scouring the streets when he found your mum. She was probably a homeless little whore-"

I didn't let him finish his sentence. For the second time in two days, I pounced.

I knocked the desk back, parchment and ink went flying, but it didn't matter, it didn't matter as long as I punched his ugly little face, punch it until it became so much uglier and swollen that nobody could recognize it.

I heard people scream, the monotonous voice of the teacher was alert and shouting at me. The ugly blond struggled against me and managed to get an arm out from underneath me as I continued to punch him, and drew back his hand to punch me in the jaw.

"You punch like a girl!" I laughed, feeling the adrenaline in me, feeling the rush, as blood poured out of the blond's nose from my next punch. "Where you from, Jersey?"

Somebody was trying to push me off him, grabbing onto my elbows and pulling me. I quickly turned around and kicked him-the chubby guy with black hair-right in the nuts. He fell over with a groan and when I turned back around to finish up with the blond, I saw that he had gotten up shakily and was now raising a stick threateningly at me.

"Locomotor mortis!" he shouted and my legs locked up against each other, making me plummet toward the ground. I struggled to get up but couldn't; my legs were stuck to each other like glue.

"DON'T _EVER_ INSULT MY PARENTS AGAIN!"I screamed at him, trying to look up at his bloody and bruised face. "Or me! Or Dirk! GOD DAMMIT, IF YOU EVER TALK SHIT ABOUT MY PARENTS AGAIN, I'LL MAKE _SURE_ YOU NEVER SEE TOMORROW!"

"Professor," he said calmly, wiping the blood off his face with his back of his hand. "I think I need to go the Hospital Wing."

* * *

><p>The sky was beautiful. Enchanting. It took the breath right out of me. Stars dotted the black sky in every single space, winking down at me. The moon was an unusually, full pearly white.<p>

So this was what the night sky looked like out in the country, where there was no light pollution. I wish I could just wrap up the entire sky and bring it home with me.

I shook my head and looked back at the grass. I needed to get a grip on myself! I had to leave before morning, and despite the fact that it was merely midnight, I knew I had to get moving. It wasn't going to be an easy journey back to...

Damn it. Why didn't I ever plan things out before?

Whatever. All that mattered was that I got as far away from here as possible.

Heaving my suitcase off the grass, I continued to walk away from the large castle, never glancing back at it. Yes, my parents were so going to kill me when they found out that I had runaway. But it would take weeks for them to find out, seeing as how they're halfway across the world. Which was perfect; I got to travel around London now and live here. No, I wasn't going back home, for at least a while. I'd probably rent an apartment room or something and live there for the next couple of years. After all, I would be a legal adult in a few months.

Anyways, I bet they would've kicked me out sooner or later. After all, it was my second fight, and on the first day of school. Yesterday wasn't even a school day. For the record, I didn't get in fights two days in a row back at home. These British people just pushed my buttons. McDonalds (I'm lovin' it) or whatever was furious at me, ranting at me for what felt like hours. Dumbledore had looked at me as if he was disappointed, his amazingly sharp and pretty (yes, pretty) blue eyes had twinkled sadly. Slughorn had stood by rather quietly. He had added what he probably hoped would be cheerful comments but all of them were ignored by McDonalds and her ranting. A few other teachers had been there too, but I had no idea who any of them were.

I walked passed a huge willow tree that shook its branches slightly. I was pretty wide and alert, but I always was a night person. I stopped walking suddenly when I heard something rustle in the trees nearby. I turned around quickly to see something emerging from the woods. It noticed me and let out a low growl, slowly advancing toward me.

I felt my heart lodge itself into my throat. I could barely breathe. I had no idea what that thing was, but it didn't seem friendly. It looked like a wolf, except that it wasn't. Its snout was longer, its tail was short and tuft. What freaked me out the most was the eyes. They were an eery yellow and the pupils were like slits.

I haven't been this scared in years.

Realizing that I was frozen in place, I forced myself to back away, and the wolf thing tilted its head curiously. It half-rose, standing on its hind legs. I felt goosebumps cover my arms. The creature opened its mouth, baring its white fangs. Jesus Christ on a cracker. Those were some sharp ass fangs. Another low growl emitted from those sharp fangs as it lowered back to the ground on its four paws.

And it started to run toward me.

Shit.

* * *

><p><em>So, how was it? I enjoy writing Alex; she's just so badass :P<em>

_Review!  
><em>


	3. Chapter 3

I was never much of a runner.

I never ran unless it was absolutely necessary, like for gym class or running from the cops. It was just too tiring and painful. It simply just wasn't worth it.

But I sure had to run like hell now.

I heard the creature breathing through its nose, could nearly feel it against the back of my legs, which only urged me to go faster. My thighs screamed in protest as my heart pounded louder and louder with each step I took. I jumped over a particular large root that jutted out from the ground but couldn't avoid the swing of a branch in my face. I shook my head and continued to run, still holding onto my suitcase like an idiot, and breathing raggedly through my mouth.

I dared a glance over my shoulder and was horrified to see that the wolf creature was bounding toward me like there was no tomorrow. It raised its lips, showing me its gums and white fangs. I quickly turned back around to see where I was running, despite how dark it was, and tried my best to swerve around all the trees in the forest. I felt the creature breathe against my legs and it sent shivers down my spine. I fought against my protesting legs, my scorching throat that I could taste the iron blood in, and tried to run faster.

But it wasn't fast enough.

The creature banged its head against my back and I flew forward, falling flat on my face. I quickly turned around to see the creature rise on its hind legs and it seemed to gleam in the bright moonlight that had guided me through the forest. Its eyes flashed as it opened its mouth, dripping saliva, and leaned in toward me-

I swung my suitcase around, hitting it smack in the face. There was a loud yelp and I stood up quickly to look at the wolf creature on the ground. But then it raised its head and started to get up, growling. I was frozen for a moment, unable to think, unable to move.

_RUN, GOD DAMN IT, **RUN**!_

I turned around quickly, dropping my suitcase, and ran as fast as my aching legs could carry me. The blood rose in my throat but I ignored it, breathing through my mouth, and I glanced around at all the trees that surrounded me. I didn't dare look back to see if the wolf creature was following me and only forced my sore thighs to keep on pushing, to keep my scorching throat under control.

I had to hide somewhere! Anywhere! But there are only these freakin' trees everywhere and-

Tree. Tree. TREE! It was as if a light bulb that I never even knew existed in my head just turned on.

I sped up with the last of my strength, feeling as if I'd collapse, to a tree with particularly low branches. I jumped onto the trunk, grinding my fingers into the bark, forcing my legs to push myself up. I reached out and managed to grab onto a branch. With a struggle, I attempted to heave my legs up onto it as well but it hurt way too damn much. I paused for a moment, panting, and attempted to-

A sting of pain sliced into the back of my legs. I let out a howl, feeling my leg burn, and glanced down to see the wolf creature bouncing up at me, trying to scratch and drag me down.

And with the very next jump it took, it dug its claws into the tree and started to climb up after me.

I let out a yelp and without thinking, kicked the thing in its face. It yelped and fell down the tree, landing on the ground with a thud. I forced my legs onto the branch quickly, ignoring the blistering pain in my muscles and the leg that the damned creature had scratched. I was now sitting on the lowest branch of the tree and I quickly glanced down below to see the wolf creature growling at me, fangs bared, yellow eyes wide. Breathing through my mouth, I shakily stood up to jump onto the branch above me and felt as though my legs would collapse underneath me.

But for the first time in the night, things went to my liking. I managed to grab onto the branch and I heaved myself up. I quickly glanced back down and saw the wolf chomping its teeth, saliva dripping out the side of its mouth; it looked downright crazy. I was breathing raggedly through my mouth, felt something drip down my leg, thought that my throat might just explode. I gathered up the blood in the back of my throat and spit it out; it disappeared into the night. I hoped that it hit that damned creature in its face. Speaking of which…

I glanced back down to see that he was backing away from a deer with antlers-a buck-that was walking towards it slowly. The wolf creature growled, snapping its teeth at him, but didn't attack the buck. They just slowly walked away, the buck with its head bowed slightly, until soon enough they were out of sight. The only thing I could hear was my own breathing and a few rustles of trees, probably from other animals. Hopefully squirrels-I could just kick them away and they'd just go flying through the air.

I didn't know how long I sat up in that tree, admiring the sky after my fear and worry of the wolf creature was gone. A rustling down below snapped me out of my thoughts but when I looked down I saw nothing but the black forest ground. Frowning slightly, I slowly descended from the tree and winced as shocks of pain attacked my body. My leg that had been scratched was thumping as if it had a heart.

I glanced around and didn't have time to ponder about what to do next; something emerged from behind a large bush. I jumped, heart thumping fast, and turned my head to see a huge dog emerge, steely blue eyes popping out from underneath its black fur. I let out a relieved sigh and even chuckled to myself. Silly woman, it was just a dog! A rather cute one at that. Yeah, it was big, but I like big dogs. The small ones were just too small; I always felt as if I would just sit on one and accidentally kill it or something.

…Moving on.

The dog had walked up right in front of me and it tilted its head all adorably. Though I rarely did something like this, I let a little squeal escape me. He was just so damn cute! Or…I thought it was a he. Lemme check…

Yeah, it was guy.

"Well aren't you just the cutest little thing?" I said in a high-pitched voice that sounded nothing like me. Alright, so I had a weak spot for big dogs. They were man's best friend, after all!

He actually seemed to smile. I swore I saw something between a smile and a smirk that reached his pink gums. Or maybe I was hallucinating; that happened often. But then again…I wasn't high at the moment. Was I? No, no, I wasn't. I knew that for a fact.

"What're you doing out here, baby?" I cooed, reaching out my hand to let him sniff it. He licked it and I giggled, scratching the back of his ears. He closed his eyes and started to thump his leg, his big tail wagging. "Isn't it late for a cute doggy like you to be out?"

His leg stopped thumping and he stopped wagging his bushy tail. He looked up at me with this unreadable, almost human-like expression.

He nudged my hand with his wet nose and then turned his head around before looking back at me. I frowned, wondering what the hell that meant. He did the motion again, this time walking away slightly, looking more out to the right.

Was this dog gesturing for me to follow him?

I started to walk after him but immediately had to stop at the immense burning feeling in the back of my leg. I moved my leg at an angle so I could see it and was horrified to see the pant leg ripped open. But that wasn't the bad part. The back of my right leg was covered in red, obviously blood, from the long and deep scratch that covered the majority of the leg. Damn. That thing got me good.

The dog barked at me once and I looked back at him. He was tilting his head curiously and eying my leg.

"Looks bad, doesn't it?" I laughed as I started to limp toward him, dragging my injured leg. My thighs were sore as hell, clenching in protest with every step I took. My throat was still sore; I needed water. I would've rather gotten in a sick fight with some tough guy than get scratched by some stupid ass wolf creature.

I followed the dog, which appeared to get more impatient as time went by, until we made it out of the forest. I found my suitcase along the way, still in pretty good shape, and had taken it along with us.

"Well, thanks for the directions, boy!" I said to him and patted him on the head before turning around to walk off in the opposite direction of the twinkling castle behind me. I was forced to stop when the dog skidded in front of me. "Hey, I'll miss you too, but I have to get going."

He stood there stubbornly and every step I took to the right, he took to my right. When I moved to the left, he moved to my left. We did this a few times before I let out an angry growl that could've rivaled that dog's. Again, the little smile smirk thing skidded across its lips. What the hell was this dog's problem?

"Buzz off!" I shouted, threateningly waving my suitcase in its face. Not that I would've ever actually hit it, of course. He bent down, putting his ass in the air, and barked loudly. "I said buzz off!"

This only encouraged his barking.

"No! Bad dog!" I admonished. His face fell suddenly and he sat down, looking down at the ground. Aw! "I'm sorry baby!" I cooed, bending over. "I didn't mean it!"

He looked at me with his adorable eyes and it just melted my heart. And then he suddenly licked my face.

"Hey!" I giggled, wiping my face of the slob and turned around to watch him bound away, shaking his butt in the air excitedly. "Come back here!" I laughed as I started to chase him as quickly as I could, which, admittedly, wasn't very fast. He only barked and continued to run off farther each time I got close enough to grab him.

"Wait!" I shouted after him, stopping and breathing heavily, exhausted. He paused for a moment and trotted back to me, sitting down and tilting his head. "I had to run away from a damned wolf creature; cut me some slack."

I straightened up and glanced around, frowning. I had unknowingly returned to the castle, and the sky had lightened slightly. I sighed deeply, putting a hand to my temple and rubbing it. This was a horrible night. Running and getting scratched by some unknown animal wasn't in my plans. I should be on the way back to America right now, not still by the school. Hell, I should be at home right now, snoozing away. Or was there a time difference? Was it seven in the morning back at home and would I be in the car with my friends on the way to school? Damn, that was starting to depress me.

The barking dog snapped me out of my thoughts and I looked down at it. He was pointing his snout at the castle, as if telling me to go back there. I sighed deeply. Yes, I knew I had to go back there, especially now. I was too injured to walk on to god knows where. And there was the chance of running into that wolf thing again.

"You go back to your owner, ya hear?" I said to the dog, scratching him on the head. Sighing deeply, I walked-or should I say limped-toward the castle.

Why me?

* * *

><p>My eyelids were drooping, my mouth opening in a very unladylike yawn. I didn't get enough sleep last night. Sure, when I got back inside I went straight to my bed, but I wasn't able to go to sleep immediately. I was simply in too much pain. Even now, I was extremely sore; I felt as though I ran a marathon. My right leg that had gotten scratched didn't really hurt, though, since it really was just a scratch, no matter how long and deep it was. I should probably get it wrapped up or something. Did they like have any nurses at the school?<p>

Somebody snapped their fingers in my face and I blinked a number of times before angrily swatting their fingers away.

"Pay attention to where you're walking!" an annoying voice came from my left. "You're going to fall down if you don't keep those eyes open!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have woken me up!" I snapped at her, turning to face the bony faced girl that had woken me up yesterday as well. "I feel like I'm going to faint from sleep deprivation."

"I _had_ to wake you up; it's not like I wanted to," she said and rolled her eyes. "Trust me, I would've loved to just leave you behind and let you miss all your classes and get a detention in each one."

"Then why didn't you just let me?" I huffed, rubbing my eyes and adjusting the bag on my shoulder.

"I want to look good," she said and flipped her hair. "I don't want to be known as the prefect who let a girl just sleep in and miss all her classes. My reputation would be ruined!"

I nearly tripped on my robes, swearing loudly as I regained my balance. "I hate these damn uniforms!" I growled, looking down at myself. I wore an open long black cloak like the typical wizard robes in movies-it was basically the same cloak that everyone else wore around here. I also wore a white button up shirt with a green and white striped tie hanging loosely. I refused to wear the skirt and the vest despite how much Bony-face told me I had to. It was too hot for the wooly vest and I don't do skirts. I. Just. Don't. So instead I was wearing my black bellbottoms. They'd blend in somewhat.

"You're not even wearing the entire uniform!" she admonished. "I don't know what you're complaining about."

"Oh trust me girl, I have every right to be complaining my ass off."

She raised an eyebrow. "You like to swear a lot, don't you?"

"Gotta problem with it?"

"No, just make sure you're not around first years," she responded and turned to face two huge open doors, leading into what looked like a huge cafeteria. "Here we are," she said as she stepped inside and I glanced around, mouth dropping in awe. This place was unbelievably huge, with four long tables full of chattering kids. Up at the front was one long table and a huge throne-like chair. I looked up to see that there was a sky-A SKY?

"Where's the ceiling?" I asked her, not removing my eyes from the swirling clouds.

"Hmm? Oh, it's enchanted to look like that." There was a pause. "Come on, let's go sit down."

I looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "I don't want to sit by you."

She raised an eyebrow as well. "Fine. But you have to sit at that table," she said and pointed to the one at the far left. "That's the Slytherin table."

She stalked off and I glanced around, realizing that many people were staring at me, whispering to one another. Ah, yes. I was the new girl at school. It reminded of when I moved to New York, except that I was younger so the kids were all friendly and curious of the Michigander.

I turned to the left and started to walk off toward the long table, feeling more eyes on me as I walked. Turning, I walked along the aisle between two tables, looking for an open seat. I saw that a few people looked scared, others gave me bitchy looks, and some actually grinned. Glancing over to the right at the other table, I saw that most of them just looked scared or curious. My eyes latched onto Dirk for a split second, and he gave me a small smile but turned when the girl beside him elbowed him. I quickly looked back to my table and, spotting an open seat, sat down in it.

I stared at the food for a long moment, feeling my jaw drop. This food looked absolutely delicious! My Cheez-its that I had eaten for lunch and dinner yesterday were nothing compared to this! There was already a plate laid out for me so I simply grabbed food from every golden plate that I could reach. Sausages, eggs, rolls-oh, what was this? It looked like-

"You're that American girl, aren't you?" a male voice came across from me as I dumped scrambled eggs on my plate. I glanced up to see a fairly attractive guy who looked to be my age, smiling. He had brown hair with stubble along his jaw, confirming his age.

"Is that how I'm known as nowadays?" I asked and I grabbed my fork, stabbing my sausage and biting off a part of it. Whoa! This stuff was off the hook!

He laughed. "Yes, you could say that."

"I have a name, you know."

"Which would be…?"

"Alex."

"I'm Bertram. Bertram Aubrey."

"Cool. Nice meeting you, bro."

He grinned, cocking his head to the left. "Your accent is so hot."

I gulped my food and raised an eyebrow. "Is it?" I said skeptically and he chuckled, nodding.

"Yeah, it's the classic American accent. It sounds real sexy."

"Thanks, I guess?" I said, taking another bite of sausage.

"You like that sausage?" he smirked and I immediately got the message by the way he said it. I couldn't help the laugh and tried to give a look, though it was ruined because of my amused look.

"Sicko."

"What'd I say?" he asked innocently and I rolled my eyes, giggling a bit. "So, is it true that you turned McKinnon into a rat?" I almost choked on my sausage, which seemed to amuse him. "Was that too big for you?"

"Oh my god, shut the hell up!" I said, throwing my napkin at him. It was a horrible toss, landing on the platter of scrambled eggs. "And what the hell was that about a rat?"

"There's been rumors that you turned McKinnon into a rat when you two got in a fight. Is that true?"

"McKinnon? The blonde?" I asked and he nodded. "I beat her ass, but I never turned her into a rat."

"Oh, so you really did get in a fight on the train with her?" he asked, seeming real interested, leaning in.

"Yeah," I said after taking a sip of orange juice and he laughed loudly.

"You're officially my hero."

"Thanks bro."

"…And Avery?"

"Who?"

"The guy you apparently got in a brawl with yesterday."

"Oh, right, the other blonde," I said and paused, realizing that I've only gotten in fights with my fellow blondes in the past few days. "Yeah, he was pretty weak; I beat him up worse than Blondie."

"Blondie-you mean McKinnon?"

"Yeah, whatever," I said and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. He opened his mouth to continue but was interrupted by somebody else.

"Associating with half-bloods now, are you, Aubrey?" a voice drawled from the left a few seats away and we both turned to see that blonde asshole-HEY! I swirled around on the bench at a surprising speed and stared at him through narrowed eyes. His face wasn't as bruised as I expected it to; hell, it looked like I did no damage at all!

"Did your Momma clean your face up for you?" I sneered at him and he glared at me before glancing over at Bertram.

"Your parents wouldn't be very happy if they found out that you're associating with filthy little half-bloods," he continued as if I hadn't spoken.

"You're a half-blood?" Bertram asked me and I glanced over to see him watching me with a surprised expression.

"You gotta problem with that?"

"I don't usually get along with people who aren't pure-bloods," he answered and was about to continue but was once again interrupted.

"Of course not," a male voice mused from behind me, "because all you Slytherins care about is blood."

I turned around and looked up to see the same hot boy from the train. He flashed me a grin before looking back at Bertram.

"Then maybe you should go back to your own Mudblood contaminated table!" Avery snapped and I stood up quickly, knocking my juice over, wondering if I could burn him with all the hatred I felt right now.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop saying that word?" I hissed as I stepped out from the bench, eyes locked on his pale green ones. His lips curled up into an ugly sneer.

"It doesn't matter how many times you tell me because I'll just keep on saying it."

"Why you little-"

"Is there a problem here?"

I turned to see Slughorn walking toward us, munching on a banana.

"Of course not, sir," Bertram replied smoothly as I opened my mouth to answer.

"Actually there is a problem, sir," Avery spoke up. "Black won't go back to his table."

"Now I know that you wish to be in Slytherin like your brother and your past relatives, and I personally also wish that you were in my house," he started and Hot-guy rolled his eyes, which made me giggle. "But I'm afraid you're going to have to return to your table."

"That was very kind of you to say, Professor, but I must say that I prefer my Gryffindor friends over...these," he said and vaguely gestured to the table I had been sitting at. Slughorn chuckled, shaking his head.

"Then why did you even come over here in the first place?"

"I should ask the same," Avery said.

"Do you ever shut up?"

"Miss. Piers!"

"What?"

"Be more mindful of your manners!"

"I just told him to shut up."

Slughorn waggled a fat finger. "We all must get along and be civilized in this school, young lady! And you," he said and turned to Avery, "need to be more welcoming."

His mouth dropped and I smirked. "But-but-she attacked me yesterday, sir!"

"You deserved it, jackass." I earned myself a snicker from Hot-guy, who apparently still hadn't gone back to his table. Slughorn gasped and waggled his finger again.

"Miss. Piers! Didn't I just tell you to watch your mouth?"

"You said to be more 'mindful of your manners', not to 'watch your mouth'."

"She has a point there, sir," Hot-guy pointed out.

"Didn't I tell you to go back to your table, Mr. Black?"

"Is there an issue?" a crisp voice sliced through the air and we all turned to see McDonalds.

"Oh no, the kids and I are just having a few humorous discussions," Slughorn chuckled and she raised a thin eyebrow.

"Well, if that's the case, I suppose I have nothing to worry about," she said and looked directly at me. "I suppose."

"I suppose you suppose correctly." I saw Hot-guy cover his mouth, his shoulders shaking slightly. McDonalds's other eyebrow joined the first and Slughorn chuckled nervously.

"What are you doing here, Black?" she snapped at Hot-guy. "Potter is probably searching for you as we speak."

"I think he's got a lot on his mind, Professor-oh, all right," he said and put his hands up in defeat from the look she sent him. "See you around, love," he added to me with a wink and walked off. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what the hell that was all for.

"Oho!" Slughorn said in a high voice, clapping a bit. "Oho! I see!" he chuckled and I raised an eyebrow.

"Class will be starting in no less than twenty minutes-you should get ready and _be on time_," McDonalds said to me firmly and I rolled my eyes. "And you better not get in any trouble or you'll be back in America before tomorrow!"

I smirked. "Then I suppose I better start getting in trouble."

She didn't respond but turned around and stalked off, her pointy and classic witch hat quivering as her robes flew behind her.

"She's right, you know," Slughorn said softly. "You must be careful, Miss. Piers. Minerva doesn't have much patience any more-the next time you get in a fight, she'll probably convince Professor Dumbledore to expel you." I didn't respond. "Oh, I just remembered!" he said suddenly, making me jump. "You won't be having your Potions class today, unfortunately," he frowned. "Instead, you'll be with the first years, learning how to fly. If you're good, you should consider joining the Quidditch team!"

I remembered hearing that word somewhere, though I couldn't remember when. These past two days felt more like two years.

"You best find your way to class. Maybe you can go with Mr. Rosier; he's in the same year and house as you. And you don't seem to get along with Mr. Avery, so I don't think that'd be a good idea…"

"Who's Rosier?" I questioned, still wondering why teachers referred to students as 'mister's' and 'miss's'. British people. Always so formal.

"Ask around," he said as he finished his banana, throwing the peel on an empty plate. "I don't have time to look through hundreds of students; I need to get my classroom set," he said and walked off. I sighed and picked up my bag, digging through it for my schedule. It was all crinkly but I smoothed out the parchment (PARCHMENT, I tell you, PARCHMENT) and scanned it. Every day of the week had different classes scheduled. Wow, that was kind of annoying.

I looked up and was surprised to see that quite a few kids had already left the table. Avery included, thank the lord.

"Are any of you guys Rosier?" I asked loudly to the remaining people, all of whom were packing up their bags and getting ready to leave. They glanced over at each other and shook their heads.

"I think he already left," Bertram said as he stood up. "I can escort you to your class, if you want."

"Really?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Rad, man!" I said happily and started to walk over to him, putting my knees onto the bench and leaning over the table. "Can you show me where-"

"Hey!" somebody shouted at me and I turned to see Hot-guy walking toward me with a grin on his face. "Hey, Alex!"

"You remembered my name," I said in a mock amazed voice and he laughed.

"Yeah, of course! How could I forget the name of such a cute girl?"

I raised an eyebrow and heard Bertram let out a little huff. "Don't you have to go to class, Black?"

"Don't you?"

"Yeah, but I was going to show Alex her classroom," he replied in a matter-of-a-fact tone, smirking at him.

"Oh? But you two aren't even in the same year," he said and returned the smirk. "She and I might have first hour together."

"You have," I looked at my schedule, "Charms?"

"Yup!" he said happily and Bertram scowled.

"Liar."

"You want to see my schedule?"

"I could care less about your damn schedule; I know you're just making that up."

"Why would I do that?" he asked innocently, cocking his head to the left. Whoa! He looked really familiar right then and there, but I know had know idea where or even who I'd seen that looked like that. Since I was too busy racking through my dusty thoughts, I didn't pay attention to the two guys arguing.

"C'mon love," a voice said and I looked over to see Hot-guy beside me and I blinked a few times.

"Hmm?"

"Someone looks like they didn't get enough sleep last night," he chuckled as he started to walk and gestured for me to follow. I glanced around and saw that Bertram was nowhere to be seen. Actually, this sexy guy and I were the only ones left in this cafeteria, other than a few figures by the doors.

"Did the dark circles give it away?"

"What dark circles?"

I snorted. "Hah, that's sweet of you babe, but even I know that I have some huge dark circles under my eyes today. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Oh? Why would that be?"

"The usual," I said and shrugged. He didn't respond, his eyebrows furrowing slightly and a small frown appeared on his lips.

"What took you so long?" one of the boys by the open doors said and I immediately recognized him as Glasses-boy.

"Sorry mate. I didn't think that Aubrey and Avery would be a problem," Hot-guy responded.

As the two chattered, I noticed the two other boys staring at me. One of them was ugly, short, and fat. He kind of reminded me of a rat, what with his watery eyes and pointed nose. The other boy, however, was much better looking, especially when placed beside Rat-boy. He was cute, with short brown hair and warm, liquid like chocolate brown eyes. He also had a few scars across his face and was pretty pale. He actually almost looked a bit sick, if anything.

Rat-boy was looking at me like I was going to slice his throat any moment and Scar-boy had been looking at me with slightly wide eyes but was now looking at the floor.

"Let's go, shall we?" Hot-guy said to me and I looked up at him.

"Sure," I said and we all walked out of the cafeteria. I walked between Hot-guy and Scar-boy, the other two in front of us. I swore that Scar-boy kept on glancing at me every few seconds, and at my leg. "So, where is the Charms room?"

"It's around the corner and you go up a flight of stairs, then take a left and keep on walking until you reach the room at the end of the hall," Glasses-boy told me over his shoulder.

"But we're not going that way," Hot-guy said and I frowned in confusion, looking at him.

"What? But that's our first hour class."

"Yours, but not ours," he said and gave me a sheepish grin. I stopped walking, causing both Scar-boy and Hot-guy to stop but the other two kept on walking, oblivious.

"What? But you said-"

"I lied," he said so smoothly and simply that I raised an eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that, love! I didn't want you to go with the filthy git Aubrey."

I folded my arms across my chest. "And what makes you so much better than him?"

He grinned cockily. "Everything, darling," he said and I rolled my eyes. "Oh c'mon, it's so obvious. I mean…just look at me," he grinned. Damn, this guy had a big ego. And I was most definitely not going to make it bigger by admitting that he was hot.

"This is what girls in Britain consider hot?" I scoffed. "They're really missing out."

The smile immediately fell off his face and Scar-boy snickered a bit. "What?"

"I've seen better looking men than you, sweetheart."

"Impossible," he scoffed. "I'm Serious Black, after all."

Cue a minute full of laughter.

"S…Serious? Your name's SERIOUS?"

"Err…yeah. What's so funny about that?"

"Your name is SERIOUS!" I squealed. "W-what kind of name is that?"

"My name," he said and I could hear the frown in his voice. "Is it really that funny?"

"Yes!" I gasped, wiping the tears away from my eyes, my laughing finally ceasing. "Is that a common British name or something?"

"Uh, not really," he said, scratching the back of his head, still looking confused, as did his buddies.

"Your name's seriously Serious?" I said and giggled at my own little joke. "For real?"

"Yeah…kind of like the star, you know?"

Oh. I guess that kind of made more sense. So it was Sirius, not Serious. But I still giggled at the thought.

"All right, I'm done," I said and put my hands up in peace. "Sirius Black." Okay, I couldn't help that giggle. "Cool meeting you. Give me some skin," I said and extended my hand out. He looked confused but nonetheless shook my hand. And then he pulled me close to him, allowing me a whiff of him. He smelled good and crisp, like a mix of cologne and mint.

"I'd like to see your skin and skin only," he murmured in my ear. I rolled my eyes and pushed him aside.

"Sicko," I said. He laughed and Glasses-boy chuckled, quickly joined by Rat-boy. Scar-boy just rolled his eyes. I did have to admit that I was quite surprised at his flirtation. And Bertram too! I never got many dudes flirting with me back home. Damn, did British guys have a thing for Americans or something?

"Lay off the girl for a while," Glasses-boy laughed. "I'm James Potter, by the way. You've probably heard of me."

"I haven't."

This time I got a real laugh from Scar-boy and a really loud, bark like one from Sirius.

"You sure?"

"Positive."

He pursed his lips and Sirius patted him on the shoulder.

"So who are you guys?" I asked Scar-boy and Rat-boy. They glanced over at each other and looked back at me. Rat-boy looked like he was going to piss his pants or something.

"I'm Remus Lupin," Scar-boy said and stuck his hand out. I shook it, smiling.

"Cool name."

"Oh, so you make fun of my name, but not his?"

"I'm Alex," I told Remus as I released his hand before glancing back at Sirius. "There's a huge difference between Sirius, which can be used as a pun, and Remus, which sounds cool and can't be another word."

"Puns are cool," he said defensively and I laughed.

"We're going to be late!" Remus said. Oh dear god. Not this shit again. "Make your introduction, Peter."

"I-I'm Peter Pettigrew," Rat-boy squeaked.

"Do you need to use the bathroom, dude?"

There was an explosion of laughter. Remus was the only one who gave Peter an apologetic look after laughing. Peter looked confused, glancing around.

"I don't get it."

"You're so thick, mate," James said with a roll of his eyes. Sirius was still barking with laughter.

"It was nice meeting you, Alex," Remus said politely, finally looking at me like I was a normal person. "But we all have to get going now."

"All right. Catch you on the flip side," I said as I watched them start to walk away, hearing James mutter something about 'is that an American phrase?'. Sirius looked back at me with a smirk and winked.

"We'll catch you on the flip side too. Whatever that means."

* * *

><p><em>Yes. I have updated. Yay! I've actually re-written this chapter so many times...well, at least the part where she gets back to school for breakfast. It's a bit longer than I intended it to be, but I knew I just HAD to include the Marauders. So I hope you enjoyed!<br>_

_Keep those reviews coming! :D_


	4. Chapter 4

This was weird. So weird. I mean, the idea that witches rode brooms were just fairytales; untrue, unrealistic! Then again, here I was, trapped in a magic school, where wizards exist. And they're British.

"Up!" I shouted for the umpteenth time at the broom that sat flat on the grass. It still didn't move and I let out an aggravated growl, stomping my foot. Damn this! Why can't brooms be automatically accustomed to people or something? "What are you looking at?" I snapped at the little boy who was staring at me with wide eyes. He hastily looked away and with the next "up!" he said, his broom flew into his hand. "Hey, how'd you do that?"

He looked at me. "Y-you just say up and it flies into your hand."

I looked down at my broom. "UP!" It didn't move. Again. It just stayed there like the fatass broom it was.

"You need to calm down a bit, Miss. Piers," Coach Hooch or whatever said. Hah. Hooch. What was it with this school and these weird ass names? "Your broom can sense your aggravation."

I snorted loudly. "Then why won't it hurry up and get into my hand before I break it in half?"

A few of the kids snickered and stopped the moment her hawk like eyes flashed at them. "Because," she said to me, "you need to calm down. You're scaring it."

I raised an eyebrow. "It's a broom," I said, punctuating each word. "Brooms don't think, feel, or anything; they're simple objects."

"Oh? You'll soon learn that things in the magic world are far different from those in the Muggle world."

I grumbled a few words underneath my breath and looked back down at the broom that was still lying on the grass. "Up!"

Oh, it flew up that time. Smack against my forehead, of course.

"OW!" I shouted and was about to swear but quickly stopped, seeing the many eyes of innocent ten year olds on me.

"I warned you," Coach Hooch said with an all too knowing smirk. I scowled at her and roughly grabbed the broom-it was floating in the air beside me. "Now," she said louder, talking to the class as a whole. "I want you all to mount your broom like I do."

She demonstrated, grabbing her own broom, which was in much better condition than these shitty ones. We all copied and she walked along, correcting a few kids' grips.

"All right," she said once she was done correcting us. "Now when I blow my whistle, I want you all to kick off the ground, hover for a moment, and touch back down. On the count of three. One…two…three!" She blew the whistle and, with a roll of my eyes, I pushed my feet off the ground. I expected only to jump-that I would fall right back down. But that didn't happen.

Instead, I flew.

More of floating, and only a few feet above the ground, but that didn't actually matter. I was in the air. Floating on a broom. A moment of awe ceased me; after all, I was freakin' FLYING! This wasn't something that happened everyday!

"All right, get down now, all of you!"

How the hell would I do that?

I glanced around at the other kids to see them tilt their brooms down and lean forward. They zoomed back down to the ground. The majority of them toppled over and rolled around in the grass. A few, like me, were having trouble getting down or just didn't know how. One of the kids was continuing to float up in the air, higher and higher.

"That's high enough!" Coach Hooch shouted at him but he only looked down at her with a frightened expression.

"I can't stop!" he shouted and swung his legs around frantically, continuing to soar above. It got to the point where he'd become a dot in the sky. Coach Hooch mounted her broom and was about to fly off when she was tumbled over by an incoming ten year old. Without a second thought (or really much of a first thought), I tilted my broom up and leaned forward.

The wind was in my hair, my idiotic robes bellowed out behind me, and I-I was flying! I let out a surprised and excited noise escape my lips. Man, this was AWESOME and totally trippy!

I realized why I'd even flew off when I saw the little kid hurtle toward the ground, right past me. I quickly turned around and tilted my broom down, zooming down toward the grass, getting closer and closer to the kid as he continued to fall, shrieking.

I extended my arm, leaned forward some more, the wind roaring in my ears, adrenaline pumping in my veins. I grabbed a hold of his arm and yanked him up on my broom and sat him in front of me.

He looked back at me, looking pale as hell, eyes bulging right out of their sockets. "I'm afraid of heights," he whispered.

I glanced back to see the dots, supposedly people, on the ground. "Lucky for you, I'm not," I said confidently; I've had more than enough experience with my friends on rooftops. "Grab on tight, though," I said and watched him grasp onto the broom handle tightly. "Here we go!" I shouted.

I tilted my broom down and zoomed back down, the kid's hair flipping against my face, until I felt us touch down to the grass. I stumbled, accidentally taking the kid down with me, and we both fell to the soft grass.

"Come over here, you two!" Coach Hooch boomed at us and we both got up, the boy shaking while I got up casually, not scared at all. We walked up to her and she put her hands on her hips, eyebrows furrowed. "You might have gotten seriously injured!"

"But I saved his life instead," I said and she shot me a look. "What?"

"I have no need for that attitude of yours, Miss. Piers."

I glowered and folded my arms across my chest. "You're welcome."

She raised an eyebrow but let out a sigh. "But you did save Mr. Bakes here. Ten points to Slytherin!"

I blinked at her. "Huh?"

"Hmm? Ah, are you confused about the points? I would've thought Professor Dumbledore told you…well, either way, you earn or lose points for your House. At the end of the year there is a-"

"Oh yeah, I remember now!" I interrupted unintentionally and she lifted an eyebrow. "So…I just earned my House-Slytherin-ten points for good behavior?"

"Basically, yes," she said and nodded. "But if you have poor conduct, you lose points." She glanced at her wrist watch and looked up, shouting, "Class dismissed! You can all go to lunch." I started to walk after the leaving students but Coach Hooch stopped me, saying "Wait just a second now, Piers!"

I stopped and turned to face her curiously. "Yeah?"

"Have you ever flown on a broomstick before?"

"No."

"Really?" she said thoughtfully. "You're quite a natural. You should consider joining Quidditch."

Quidditch...the name rang a bell. "I remember Mr. Dumbledore saying something about that."

She cracked an amused smile, murmuring something about 'hah, mister…' but louder, she said, "You should consider joining the team."

"But I have no idea how to play," I frowned, but had to admit the idea got me a little excited. I was never one for extra curricular activities, but nothing at my old school ever offered flying!

"Talk to Lucinda Talkalot-she's Captain of the Slytherin team. She should be able to help you or at least find you somebody that can."

"Okay," I nodded. "Thanks. I think I won't be coming to this class anymore?"

She shook her head. "No, this hour will be filled in by Potions from now on. Now hurry up, off to lunch."

* * *

><p>I growled angrily and twirled around pathetically. I was lost. Still. And my stomach was gnawing away at my insides. I wanted to eat, but I couldn't find that damned cafeteria! Why did the school have to be a freaking castle? Like seriously?<p>

"…lost him."

I turned to see a door open and three girls exit. When they all turned and started to walk toward me I immediately recognized them. They, in turn, seemed to recognize me. They all narrowed their eyes and linked arms, apparently in a gesture of intimidation, which amused me greatly.

"I was hoping I'd never see you again," Blondie sneered.

"Why? Scared that I'd mess your face up?" I smirked and she scowled, as did her friends.

"Just stay away from us, all right?" the redhead huffed and I raised an eyebrow. I thought the redhead was nice and all on the train, as was the brunette, but I supposed they weren't being very nice because, well, I assaulted their friend.

"Hey, I was just trying to find my way to the cafeteria."

They all frowned. "Cafeteria? Oh, you mean the Great Hall?" the brunette asked and I shrugged.

"I dunno what the hell you call it, but I don't care as long as there's some food!"

Blondie snorted. "I think you should lay off the food for awhile."

I narrowed my eyes and cricked my neck. "What'd you say to me, bitch?"

"Don't call me a bitch!" she snarled, unlinking from the other girls and marching toward me.

"Why not? It's the truth."

"_You're_ the bitch, you violent little American-"

"Do you really wanna start somethin' with me again? If you say one goddamn bad thing about America I'll-"

"Stop it!" the redhead shouted and we both turned to face her. She looked agitated, arms folded across her chest. "There is no need for your meaningless arguments!"

"She started it," Blondie huffed indignantly and I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, that's real mature of you."

"Should you really even be talking?"

"Hey, at least I can admit that I'm not the most-"

"Please, both of you! I've had enough of waiting for my lunch, so can we just go?" the redhead said loudly and we turned to face her.

"Fine, but only for you two," Blondie said and they all walked off. I decided to follow them, seeing as how they knew the way to the cafeteria. Or Great Hall. Whatever. The place where they served food; that's what mattered, after all. We'd barely started to walk off when a shout came from behind us.

"Hey! Lily! There you are!"

Much to my surprise, I heard the redhead curse and she quickened her pace but it didn't seem to be fast enough; a boy ran passed me, grabbed her wrist, and twirled her around.

"Leave me alone, Potter!" she huffed, pulling her arm away from him. Potter? Wasn't that…?

"Oh come on, don't be so shy."

"Why can't you take a bloody hint?"

"The hint that you secretly want to go out with me? Yeah, I've taken note of that hint, and of course-"

"Leave us ALONE," the brunette interrupted snappily. "Why don't you go back to your friends?"

"They're all eating right now and I wanted to see _Lily_, not you, MacDonald-"

"Can we all just go to the damned cafeteria already?" I said angrily as my stomach growled for the hundredth time. Everyone turned to face me and the boy was, indeed, James.

"Go on your own," Blondie snapped. "Or is the wittle baby unable to get there on her own?" she cooed in the way that made my blood boil.

"At least I can fight, unlike some weaklings."

"You fight like a man."

"Thanks!"

She scowled. "That wasn't a-"

"Can you both just _shut it_ already?" the redhead shouted loudly, stopping Blondie from continuing. "I just want to go to lunch. Right, Mary?" She looked at the brunette, who nodded.

"Then keep your _friend_ under control," I snapped and she narrowed her beautiful green eyes on me before turning around, flipping her dark red hair. Damn, did this girl have an attitude! Despite that, I still felt quite neutral toward her and her brunette friend-it was just Blondie I had problems with.

James kept on trying to walk by the redhead but she wouldn't let him, so he had to stay back with me, behind the three girls. It got annoying, though, as he continuously tried to barge into the brunette and redhead's conversation. After the fifth time he butted in I snapped, "Why don't you just stay out of their conversation? Do us all a favor."

It was the first time that the redhead gave me an appreciative look. The brunette giggled and James frowned at me sadly.

"I thought we were friends."

I snorted. "I think not."

He pursed his lips. "Why not? Who _doesn't_ want to be friends with _the _James Potter?"

"People with brain cells," the redhead chirped, making the brunette laugh.

We arrived in the cafeteria, full of chattering kids. The table at the very back, the one that faced the other four tables, was empty. Huh, I guessed that the teachers didn't eat their lunch here. Thank goodness.

The three girls started to walk off to the right and I pondered as to where to sit. I didn't necessarily have any friends. I mean, James was cool and all, but…

"What're you standing there for?" he said to me and I looked at him questioningly. "C'mon!" He gestured for me to follow and I did after a moment, feeling a bit grateful. His table was loud and full of laughter. I noticed the girls taking seats at that table, and I immediately knew it would be trouble if I sat there too. But I didn't really care, so I sat down beside James. I immediately filled up my plate with as much food as possible.

"Hello," a polite voice came from my left and I turned, my face stuffed with a sandwich, to see Remus. He still looked as pale as did this morning, but he looked a little happier-he was smiling.

"Hey," I said once I gulped my food. "Whazzup?"

He shrugged. "Not much."

"Sounds fun," I said, earning myself a laugh from him. "What?"

"Nothing sounds like so much fun, doesn't it?" he smiled and I grinned in return.

"Of course it is! Sometimes it's nice to just chill, ya know?"

"Yeah," he said and nodded after a moment. "So, are you enjoying this school?" he asked conversationally.

I downed a glass of water before answering. "Nope."

He raised his eyebrows but laughed. "Really? What makes you say that?"

"I hate this place, man. I miss my old school, back at home. This place…this isn't where I belong," I said, my voice dropping. He didn't respond for a long moment, to the extent where I thought he had gotten bored with our conversation and had moved on. But then he spoke, his voice quiet.

"I know how you feel. The sense of not belonging somewhere." His eyebrows and forehead crinkled, lips lined into a frown.

"Hey man, don't look so sad."

"Sorry…I just…"

"There's no need to apologize," I said through a mouthful of sliced apples. "I just think a smile suits you more."

He looked a little embarrassed at that and decided to cram his mouth with food as to avoid responding. Shrugging, I decided to concentrate on my food when a flash of pain sliced through my leg.

"Ow!"

"Something wrong?" Remus asked, sounding concerned.

"It's just my leg…I hurt it the other day and…" I winced. His eyes widened and he glanced down at my leg quickly before back at me. He looked like he was going to have a heart attack or something.

"What happened?"

I decided not to answer this, seeing as how I wouldn't want to tell him of my midnight adventure. Instead, I asked, "Do you guys have any nurses in this school?"

"There's Madam Pomfrey."

I raised an eyebrow. "Is she French or something?"

He chuckled forcefully. "No, but that's what she goes by." He glanced down at my leg for a split second again, his expression…I didn't know how to describe it. Guilty? It was weird.

"What's with the face, dude?"

His eyebrows quickly returned to their original places and he quit biting his lip. He gave me a sheepish look and was about to answer when he was interrupted by a, "Hey Alex."

I turned to see Sirius smiling at me, looking hot as ever. He was just so...perfect-looking. His hair had the right amount of mess in it that made it attractive and had the right color that made his beautiful eyes pop out even more. And his face looked so perfectly smooth, with no blemishes.

"Hey," I said.

"So, is this considered 'catching you on the flip side'?" he smirked and James laughed.

"Are you making fun of me?"

"Nah, just teasing," he grinned and I rolled my eyes but laughed. I paused.

"Do you guys know Lucinda Talkalot?"

"Yeah," James said, a flash of annoyance crossing his face. "Why?"

"Coach Hooch or whatever told me that I should consider taking Quidditch so I should talk to-"

"You're going to play Quidditch?" James interrupted excitedly, eyes gleaming excitedly. He looked like an overexcited five year old and I half expected his tongue to roll out at any moment.

I shrugged. "I dunno, maybe. Hooch said I was good so I should consider."

"If Madam Hooch says that you're good, you must be," he said, sounding impressed. "You're obviously not as good as me, though," he added with a grin, messing up the back of his hair.

"Oh, we'll see about that, won't we?" I smirked and Sirius let out a little 'ooh', nudging Peter in his fat side. He chuckled nervously. James smirked confidently and took a swig of his drink.

"We will see. After all, you and I are going to be playing each other very soon."

I smirked. "I can't wait."

We _would've_ continued our conversation if that damned Blondie hadn't sat down beside Sirius, pushing Peter out of the way.

"What is she doing here?" she demanded, giving me the evil eye.

"She was invited over," Sirius replied smoothly.

"Why?" she pouted. "She attacked me the other day!"

I decided to stay quiet, curious of how this would turn out. If only I had some popcorn instead of a sandwich.

"Well, you did say some pretty bad stuff." You just earned yourself a few points in my book, Sirius.

She gaped. "I can't believe you're taking her side!"

"I'm not taking anybody's side," he said, sounding exasperated. "I just think that Alex had a right to lash out at you."

"Thank you," I grinned appreciatively. Blondie gave me a bitchy look and Sirius winked at me. I started to eat again, ignoring the disgusted look on Blondie's phony face.

"You eat like a pig," she commented.

"Better than not eating," I said through a mouthful of my sandwich, "and trying to look like a walking stick."

"I'd rather be skinny than fat."

I gulped my food and raised an eyebrow. "Are you calling me fat?"

"I never said that." She smiled all too sweetly and tilted her head.

I was starting to get real tired of this girl. And real fast. "If you have something to say, why don't you say it to my face?"

She batted her eyelashes. "What are you talking about?"

"I hate it people like you-the ones that can't say shit to a person's face 'cause they're just too much of a pansy."

"And I hate people like you," she sneered in return. "Actually…there aren't any people like you in this school, so it must just be you I hate."

"Feeling's mutual," I snapped. "Now why don't you do us all a favor and go back to your friends?"

"Why don't you do us all a favor and leave our friend alone?"

I looked up to see the redhead standing behind Blondie, giving me a fierce look. I raised an eyebrow.

"I don't like your friend," I stated, "just to make that clear."

"If you have a problem with Marlene, you have a problem with me," she said threateningly and Sirius whistled. She looked at him with narrowed eyes before returning her attention to me. "Understand?"

"I understand."

She raised her eyebrows, apparently not expecting it to go so easily. "Then you wouldn't mind if I asked you to back off Marlene."

"Not at all." I nodded to her. Everybody looked completely taken off guard and I smirked. "But I'm only saying 'not at all' to the fact that I don't mind you _asking _me to back off. I probably won't."

The redhead and Blondie's surprised expressions were replaced by impatience and annoyance. Sirius looked a little amused, James a little wary, Remus expressionless, and Peter awed.

"Then can you at least just ignore us?"

"She was the one that came over here," I pointed out.

"Way to just make an excuse to-"

"You know what?" I interrupted Blondie, getting very annoyed at this point. "I just want to eat my food," I said, glancing around at everyone. "And this is just too much drama for me, so I'm just gonna..." I stood up and grabbed my plate. "Eat somewhere else. Even the goddamn bathrooms if I have to."

I started to walk off but heard the shout of "Wait!" I sighed and turned around to see Sirius chasing after me, all eyes on him.

"What?" I asked, annoyed.

He stopped in front of me and flashed me a charming grin. "Sorry about all of that."

"It's fine. I don't really care. It's just Marlene I have a problem with, by the way," I added. "I don't mind the redhead. I like her attitude."

He raised his eyebrows but smiled. "That's good you think that; Lily's not bad at all! Anyways, I just wanted to give you a warning: you shouldn't go eat in the bathroom. You have no idea what's lurking there." There was a playfulness to his voice yet I could hear the serious side to it. Hah, serious as in Sirius!

"Uh...thanks for the heads up," I said and he smiled all cutely.

"I'll catch up with you later!" he said and waved at me before walking back over to his table. I shrugged, wondering what that was all about, and started to walk off again, in the direction of the Slytherin table in hopes of finding Lucinda Talkalot. Ugh, but I didn't want to see Avery; I've already seen enough of his ass in my first hour class. But Bertram wasn't too bad, and seeing as how I had nowhere else to sit, found him and sat down next to him.

"Hey man," I said and he stopped talking to whoever he had been talking to, turning to face me. His face lit up in an instant.

"Alex! I was wondering where you'd been."

"I was sitting over with Sirius and his friends."

His face darkened immediately. "You shouldn't hang around them too much."

I grabbed a handful of chips and started to eat a couple at a time. "I choose who I hang out with," I told him firmly, letting him know that he couldn't order me around.

"I wasn't saying you couldn't! You just don't know them, that's all."

"They all seem like fine boys to me."

"That's because you've only talked to them, what, once or twice? They're real gits, they are." He sounded furious, his handsome face all scrunched up in anger. I was unable to answer because I was chewing my food and he seemed to take it as a 'please continue'. "They hexed me once, last year. Earned them a double detention from McGonagall-Hah, served them right!"

"'The Marauders'." A mocking voice came from in front of me and I turned to see a very oily haired boy staring at us. He had a hooked nose and pale skin much like Remus's, but it looked deformed, too unnatural. "They think they own the bloody school."

Bertram nodded in agreement. "See? Even Severus knows they're all gits."

"They're not as bad as you guys say they are," I frowned, feeling a bit agitated from their asshole-ish comments.

"But maybe they'd be perfect friends for a person like _you_," he sneered at me and I raised an eyebrow. "You'll be an addition to their collection of arses."

"Was that an insult?" I said menacingly, leaning over the table.

His lips curled. "Yes."

I threw my food down, very, VERY, agitated at this point of being unable to eat in peace. "All right then. Why don't we settle this the right way, then, huh?" I stood up. "I'll call you out, right here, right freaking now!"

"Settle down!" Bertram said, grabbing my arm, but I shook him off.

"And let this asshole get away with insulting me? I think not!"

"You're just doing this for attention," Oil-head continued, giving me a nasty face. "You really _are_ perfectly matched with them."

"Give it a rest, Snape!"

"Standing up for the filthy half-blood, Aubrey?" Oh. My. Lord. A person I hated even more than Blondie. "What are you trying to do, get into her knickers?"

I had no idea what the hell knickers were, but something that made Bertram turn red was definitely not good. He stood up too and I saw his hand go to the pocket of his robes.

"Don't be jealous," I sneered to Avery, "because you have one of the ugliest faces I've ever seen, and that your friend," I said with a gesture to Oil-head, "never washes his hair." They both scowled and Avery, who had already been standing (he'd walked over to us when he'd obnoxiously butted in) put his hands in his robes as well, drawing out a wand. It made me chortle a bit. That was supposed to be threatening?

Apparently Bertram had the same stupid idea too, because he pointed his wand at Avery and said, "I know much more advanced magic than you. You better watch your mouth."

"Standing up for your whore, are you? I always thought you were the type to-"

Too many things happened at once. It was all a blur.

I remembered the pulsating anger I felt when I jumped over the table and toward the two. A flash of light shot passed me, which I assumed to be a spell cast by Bertram. I was about to land on Oil-head when he too whipped out his wand and shouted, "Levicorpus!"

It was as if an invisible hook had grabbed onto my ankle. I was hoisted into the air, flipped upside down, and was dangling. I cussed loudly and struggled against the invisible bonds. Realizing that I couldn't get down, and annoyed by the smirk on Oil-head's face, I reached into the closest bowl of food. It happened to be some weird creamy stuff and I chucked it right at him.

And much to my amusement, it hit him smack in the face. I was unaware of the fact that the entire cafeteria now had eyes on us, and it seemed to be creating a stirring. A few of the Slytherins were joining in on the asssault-a few helped Bertram out but more than a few joined Oilhead and Snape's side. I even recognized a few: Evan Rosier, the boy who had such hollow cheeks it amazed me he wasn't a zombie, and the fat kid Mulciber.

When I reached down to get another scoopful of the creamy food, I wasn't able to; it was as if my arms were glued to my sides. No matter how much I struggled they wouldn't budge. Mulciber and Snape were howling in laughter at this, which pissed me off. Immensely. And I was already pissed.

So this resulted in many swear words that were probably not something the poor ten year olds should've endured.

And the next thing I knew my tongue glued itself to the roof of my tongue. I let out a weird-sounded scream, attempting to move my tongue off, but unable to. It worried the shit out of me. Once I get my hands on those two...

All of this happened in no less than three minutes.

The blood was draining into my head and I felt a little woozy, my tongue still glued against the roof of my tongue like there was no tomorrow. These goddamn PANSIES! They used magic because they can't fight like real men! Hell, I bet even _I_ was a better fighter than them!

My thoughts were interrupted when I saw Snape also get dangled up in the air just like me. And then I saw them-Sirius, James, and Remus. Remus looked at me and flicked his wand with a "Liberacorpus!"

I fell to the table with a loud thud, getting food all over me. Ah, that hurt like a mother f-

I yelped and rolled over, not caring that I had just gotten that nasty creamy food all over me, in order to avoid the spell that was just cast toward me. I quickly sat up and looked down to see a mouse sitting where the bowl of creamy food had just been.

This asshole attempted to turn me into a freakin' MOUSE! Ooh, that did it. I might as well teach these boys that I wasn't all muscle either-after all, my summer wasn't just wasted practicing spells.

Unfortunately, my tongue was still stuck. Unfortunate for Oil-head, that is. Avoiding spells from the growing number of people that joined in the fight (more people came from Sirius's table) I crawled over to him. He was still dangling in the air, abandoned, seeing as how James was now battling Rosier.

I pointed at my mouth, indicating to him to release the spell, but he merely curled his lips in response. And this son of a bitch thought he could get away without fixing me? I punched him right in his oversized nose and he let out a pained wail. I withdrew my bloodied fist from his bloodied nose and threateningly grabbed onto the collar of his robes. He glared at me with so much hatred that I knew he wouldn't dare let my tongue return to its place. So, abandoning him, I rushed up toward the closest person I knew. It turned out to be Remus, who I had to grab and pull down to in order to miss a shot spell. We quickly wiggled our way underneath the table.

"Thanks," he breathed. I opened my mouth and pointed to it urgently. He looked a little confused but when he leaned in a bit closer he saw the problem. With a flick of his wrist my tongue was unglued and I wiggled it experimentally. He laughed loudly and asked, "All better?"

I grinned and nodded. "Thanks!"

"No problem. Now c'mon..."

We peeked out from under the table and I could only gape in shock at how much of a mess everything had become. People were casting spells every which way, shouts and incantations echoed throughout the room, and I felt as though nearly a quarter the cafeteria was involved. And the other three-quarters were simply hiding away in the corner.

I pulled out my wand, which, yes, was in my robe pocket ("Always keep it on you!" Luke had always said. This was probably the first time I actually appreciated him). I noticed Remus glance at it. "I can actually use a wand too," I said in his ear, over the shouts.

He laughed and leaned over, saying in my ear, "That's good to know; I was wondering whether or not you could actually use magic."

I grinned and turned around. My eyes narrowed into slits as soon I saw Avery and Mulciber ganging up on a very scared looking Peter. I pointed my wand at Avery and shouted, "Flipendo!"

I let out a burst of laughter as I saw him knock back onto the floor. Mulciber looked confused and glanced around, seeming to wonder who was behind it.

"Nice one!" Remus shouted. A wand clattered in front of us and we both looked at it, then at each other, before back at the wand. "Hey, this is Sirius's!" he said as he picked it up. We crawled out from underneath and stood up, the pair of us glancing around for Sirius. Then I noticed a patch of curly black hair and leaned in toward Remus so he could hear me.

"Found him!" I shouted, pointing at Sirius's back. He nodded and we dashed off in his direction, just in time to see somebody raise his wand at Sirius.

"Mum and Dad are so disappointed in you!" the boy shouted. He looked a considerable amount like Sirius; they each had the same black curly hair and the face shapes were similar. Sirius, however, was taller and still much more handsome. "Being friends with filthy Mudbloods and half-bloods alike!"

"I don't care what any of you think!" Sirius roared with clenched fists. "And I'm happy that I never have to see either of my insane parents EVER AGAIN!"

The boy looked furious and waved his wand, starting a "Stu-" but I quickly raised my own arm and shouted "Expelliarmus!"

It turned out I wasn't the only one that shouted it. My own voice was combined with Remus's, and the power of both spells knocked the boy off his feet. We looked at each other and I grinned at him whilst he gave me a small smile.

"**SILENCE!**"

Everybody froze. I glanced around curiously and had to admit that I was shocked at how crazy everything had become. Wands were frozen in midair, some people were frozen with their fists in the air, and others didn't dare take their eyes off their opponents.

Looking back, I saw McDoanlds march through the now silent cafeteria. She looked absolutely furious, her thin eyebrows furrowed, her mouth set in a straight line, her head held up high. I noticed a few other teachers walking behind her, including Slughorn, a short guy, and a plump lady.

"Never in my years of teaching have I seen such behavior!" McDonalds roared. "You should all be ashamed of yourselves!"

Nobody spoke.

"Would someone kindly explain to us how all of this happened?" Slughorn asked kindly, though his eyes were bulging in disbelief.

Again, nobody spoke. Remus and I glanced over at each other.

"Fine," McDonalds said sharply. Her eyes rested on mine for a second. "Everyone who is standing over here," she said and gestured to our side of the cafeteria, where people were frozen in their battle positions, "must stay. Everybody else may leave."

There was some shuffling on the other side of the cafeteria as they left. It was completely silent again once they left.

"Now," McDonalds said as she started to walk along us, "I do not know how all of this happened, nor do I care. What I do care about is how the situation was handled. It clearly got out of hand." I snorted and she looked at me sharply but continued to walk, breaking apart a few students as she went. "You Slytherins and Gryffindors must learn of a little thing called respect. And I see that many of you are older-Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh years. What sort of examples are you setting for the younger years?"

Nobody responded. What a surprise. But I chose to keep my mouth shut ("sometimes it's best just to shut up than say the truth!" my friend Derek, who rarely told the truth, always said). I was sure that McDonalds already sensed that I had something to do with the battle. After all, since she said she'd never seen such behavior before, it was way too much of a coincidence that it all happened once I arrived here.

"Now you will all clean the mess you've made, _without _magic."

There were a few groans. Ah, so they _were_ alive.

"I don't want to hear any of that!" she snapped. "Maybe it'll teach you something."

And with that, she turned around and stalked off. The other three teachers gave us disappointed looks.

"It'll probably take hours to take clean all of this up," Slughorn said, "so what you miss in class will have to be made up one way or another."

As they turned and left as well, I heard the plump lady say to the short man "Thank goodness Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw don't have House grudges..."

Once we were sure they were gone, people started to grumble. A few started to shout at one another again, but were stopped when James shouted "Why don't you idiots just shut it and start cleaning up so we get it over with?"

With more complaints but this time complying, people started to shuffle about, picking up fallen plates. Sirius walked toward Remus and I, grinning widely.

"That was fun, wasn't it?"

I laughed and Remus chuckled, shaking his head. He handed Sirius his wand. James and Peter came to our sides within seconds, James chatting animatedly about the battle.

"Hey," I interrupted their conversations and all eyes went to me. "I just wanted to...thank you guys. For, you know, coming over here and helping me out."

James and Sirius grinned, Remus smiled, and Peter gaped.

"What can I say?" Sirius said, putting an arm around me. "I couldn't watch helplessly. A beautiful girl should never be harmed."

I rolled my eyes and laughed. I placed my arm around his waist in a friendly gesture, seeing how reaching wrapping an arm around his shoulder would look too awkward (he was too tall!)

"Group hug!" I said, seeming to surprise everybody. "Oh, c'mon, don't be such wussies!" I laughed and wrapped my other arm around Remus's shoulder, closing in the circle.

James laughed and shrugged, wrapping his arms around Remus and Peter, who in turn wrapped his arms around Sirius and James. We laughed and giggled as we all got caught up with one another. Our faces all met and we all grinned, though Peter looked a bit unsure.

"This is going to be one hell of a school year!"

* * *

><p><em>Well. This turned out two times better and longer than I originally had. I had a sudden revelation at one in the morning and just started to type away like a crazy person :P<em>

_So, I'd say the Marauders and Alex got considerably close in this chapter. She stood up for them when they were being insulted, and they stood up for her when she was being harmed. I would say is a sign of a possible friendship (I don't think they'd be friends after just a day). But did stuff get out of control! XD I would say all the other Gryffindors and Slytherins just kind of joined in because they all simply hate each other._

_And Snape! I was hoping to use him soon, and this was my chance! __Aw man, he just learned the hard way not to mess with Alex. _


	5. Chapter 5

I grumbled words underneath my breath as I descended from the stairs. The detentions with McDonalds were time consuming and laborious. How the hell did all that fur and hair get all over the place anyway? She could've cleaned up all that shit with a flick of her wand, but _no_, I had to clean it up.

I sighed and shook my head. Two more weeks to go.

I stopped in front of the stretch of wall and said, "Snakeskin" to watch it open as usual. This was probably the only thing I'd gotten used to at this school, since it was pretty necessary of me to be able to make sure my belongings were all in tact. I walked into the room and every eye went to me. I ignored them and was heading toward the dormitories when one particularly ugly asshole blocked my way.

I narrowed my eyes and took one step to the right, which he mirrored, blocking my path again. We went at it for a few times, right to left, left to right, until my patience burned away.

"Move it, jackass!" I shoved Avery, who stumbled back. It made my anger subside slightly; it was, after all, funny to see him stumble back with an idiotic expression.

"Hey!" Mulciber arrived, speaking for the first time I've been here. "You can't do that!"

"I just did."

His fat face screwed up in anger. "Listen here, you filthy little—"

Oh, I've had more than enough of listening. I didn't allow him to finish his sentence by shoving him too. I laughed when I watched his fat ass fall to the ground as Avery stood up, eyes gleaming darkly.

"My father will hear about this!" he shouted, pointing at me. I couldn't help it. I laughed.

"Ooh, I'm scared." I pretended to cower. "What's he gonna do, hurt me with his ugly face? That is, assuming that he looks like you."

"My father is a strong wizard."

"Yeah? Then you clearly have inherited none of his genes."

"Ouch." Ooh, I had completely forgotten about our audience. I didn't know who it was that had offered that comment, but it made me smirk and Avery scowl.

"Who said that?" he barked, eyes searching the peanut gallery.

"I did." The voice was feminine.

Curious, I turned to see who had the pair of balls that none of these other people had. There was a girl my age standing up and folding her arms across her chest defiantly. She was pretty, with caramel-colored hair and bright blue eyes.

Avery's eyes narrowed. "You do realize that this is the girl that made us stay behind an hour to clean up the cafeteria?"

I opened my mouth to retort when the girl said, "She wouldn't have charged at you if you hadn't insulted her!"

For a moment Avery simply gaped. Then he said, "How would you know? You weren't even there!"

She looked at him as if she was stupid and Bertram stood up with a roll of his eyes. "I told her, obviously."

"Duh!" I added, leaning in toward Avery to watch him scowl.

"Now I would recommend that you go off to bed," the girl said to him as if he was a toddler, "you're still just a baby."

"Yeah, little babies need their rest," Bertram chipped in.

Ooh, they got Avery good. Muttering a few words underneath his breath and his face slightly pink, he walked off, tugging Mulciber along the way.

There was a long moment of silence before chatter started throughout the room. The pretty girl and Bertram grinned at one another.

"Hey," I said as I walked toward them, "thanks."

"I didn't do that for you," the girl said as she faced me. "Avery was just aggravating me. I say what I want and do what I want."

"Either way, you got rid of him."

She shrugged. "He and I never got along."

"That's because he's scared of you," Bertram laughed as he looked down at her. She smirked.

"No, he's just mad that I'm Quidditch Captain now. He knows he won't be able to bribe me."

It was as if a bell went off in my head. "Hey, you're Lucinda Talkalot, aren't you?"

She looked at me suspiciously. "How do you know that?"

"You just said that you're the Quidditch Captain! That Coach lady...uh, Hooch, yeah that's it, told me that I should consider trying out."

"Really?" she said thoughtfully. "If Hooch recommended you, you must be good. Tryouts start next Monday, so be there." She started to walk off.

"But...I don't know how to play Quidditch."

She stopped and turned to face me with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"I never even knew that there was such a game until this morning. Or that witches actually flew, for that matter."

She and Bertram stared at me. "Wow, you really don't know anything, do you?" Lucinda said finally.

"Nope." I shrugged. "It'd be nice if you helped me, though."

"I don't have time to teach an entire game to someone."

"Oh...is there anybody that can?" I asked hopefully. She looked up at Bertram, who shrugged.

"Well..." She tapped a finger against her chin. "You could ask people who were on the team last year. Let's see...there's Wilkes, Gudgeon, and Rosier."

I made a face at the last name and Bertram chortled. "You don't like Rosier?"

"Hell no. He's just a part of Avery's stupid posse...and he needs to eat a few hamburgers."

He laughed and Lucinda cracked a smile. "Then you can just ask Wilkes or Gudgeon. I'd recommend Gudgeon, though, he's not as bad."

"All right," I nodded. "Thanks."

"Yup, no problem. I think I'm gonna go to sleep now." She yawned and stretched. "Good night."

"Good night," Bertram called out after her as she walked off toward the dormitories. She waved a lazy hand before disappearing through the door.

"You gotta thing for her?" I asked him; he had been staring off at her ass before she left. He looked back at me, surprised.

"No. What makes you say that?"

"You were staring at her ass."

He stared at me for a moment before laughing. "Can't I check out a girl?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that, go ahead and check out every girl for all I care. I don't give a damn."

He pursed his lips, feigning hurt. "You don't care? That hurts me darlin', I thought you cared about me."

I raised an eyebrow but couldn't help the smile that skidded across my lips. "Then you thought wrong."

The chatter around us was dying as people headed off toward the dormitories.

"Really?" he purred, taking a step closer to me. "You seemed offended that I'd been staring at Lucinda's arse."

I raised an eyebrow because I hadn't been offended at all. I just thought he liked her or something. "You seemed offended when I talked to Sirius." In his face!

"Yes, I do get offended," he said and looked irritated for a split second. "I'm a much better person than he is, love." He took another step closer, so that he was only a few inches away from me. "And better in bed, might I add."

"So you're saying you know how Sirius is in bed through experience."

He laughed, throwing his head back. Oh, he must've been remembering the experience. "No, love, no. I just know that I'm the best out there."

"And you'd only know that by screwing a few of your competitors."

"I haven't done _anything_ of that essence with any man. Ever."

"Of course you haven't!" I said as if he was crazy and he grinned. "You've only shagged teenage boys, not men."

His face fell and he pursed his lips again. "Teenage girls, you mean."

"No, I mean guys."

"Love, I've only snogged girls." He gently wove his hand through my hair and I immediately smacked it away. He chuckled throatily and leaned in toward me. "All of them say that I've got some nice moves in both snogging and in bed...would you like to see if they were telling the truth or not?"

Euh. I pushed his face away from me and folded my arms across my chest. "I'm not some skank that you can hit up, 'lright?" I snapped, feeling violated. "I have values, ya know."

He looked surprised at first but he soon smirked. "Are you waiting for Mr. Right to come? 'Cause I'm Mr. Right For The Night." He winked and I rolled my eyes.

"It takes fifty grand to see my ass. So unless you get that dough, you better keep on truckin'."

"The things I'll do will make up for all that money."

I shook my head and sighed. This dude just wouldn't give up! "No way, Jose. Go get yourself a slut, 'cause you sure as hell aren't talking to one right now."

"All right, all right." He put his hands up in surrender. "You're not that kind of girl, I get it."

"Finally."

"But..." He smirked. "I like myself a girl that's hard to get."

"Yeah? Well I'm not hard to get; you just can't get me."

And with that, I stalked off, flipping him the bird when he shouted after me, "We'll see about that!"

* * *

><p>I swore loudly as I twirled around aimlessly in the empty hallway. You would think that it was cool to go to school in a castle, 'cause it was a freakin' castle, but no. Life didn't work like that. It was because of the fact that it was a castle I could never find any of my classes. I actually attempted to go to class (unlike back at home) and this is how they repaid me?<p>

Groaning in my self-pity, I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes briefly. I thought of my friends and wondered how school was over there. The poor little freshmen must've been getting tortured by now. The reason that I was unable to continue thinking of my sweet old home was because I heard a crash of glass in front of me.

Startled, I opened my eyes and saw a puddle of black ink lying on the ground before me. There was some cackling from above and I looked up to see…

Dear God. I was not getting enough sleep.

There was no way that a little man was flying in the air.

No. Way. In. Hell.

…

This school did things to my brain.

"Kiddies should be in class," the man said in a sing-song voice as he swooped around. I rubbed my eyes. "Even the American ones!"

I stared at it. Then I stared at it some more as it continued to swoop around singing. Finally, I said, "What the hell _are_ you?"

He grinned and swooped down toward me, his pudgy little face in front of mine. He was small—the size of a little kid. "I'm Peeves, a poltergeist! I make this school FUN!"

And then he made this annoying ass sound by stinking out his tongue and making a farting noise.

"Get away from me!" I snarled, waving him away like an insect. "Stupid little British hologram or whatever the hell you are!"

His mischievous smile was replaced by a slight scowl. "You think I'm a hologram?"

"I don't know, some sorta magic trick or something! Ghosts. Aren't. Real."

He gasped dramatically and threw his head back, swooping down and back up. "Ghosts aren't real? ARE YOU NUTS?" he shrieked and shook his head crazily. I raised an eyebrow. "What do they teach you in America? That vampires suck chocolate?" He let out a little shriek of laughter, holding onto his belly, apparently finding his joke very amusing.

But for the poor son of a bitch, I didn't find it funny. "No, but how about you go and suck a di—"

"Language, deary, language," he interrupted and waggled a finger at me. "You mustn't use such fowl language."

"I'll fowl language your ass."

He cackled. "Really? Then I hope you don't mind if I"—he whipped out a water balloon from nowhere—"water balloon your arse."

"You wouldn't dare, you little son of a—"

Oh, he dared all right. I quickly dodged it and watched it splat to the ground with triumph.

"Hah, you missed, you stupid little—"

And I had to watch a water balloon come in contact with my shirt, water splattering over my face from the impact.

"Look at what you've done to me!" I bellowed angrily as I looked down at my drenched shirt and robes. At least he didn't hit my pants so it didn't look like I pissed myself. He howled out in laughter, rolling around in the air and pounding it soundlessly. I gritted my teeth and my hands curled up into fists. "I'm gonna kill you!"

"You can't," he said between giggles, "because I'm already dead!" He laughed even harder and tears welled up in his eyes.

"Yeah? Well I'm gonna kill you again, so that way you won't come back a ghost," I snapped, though admittedly that wasn't the best comeback.

"Aha! So now you acknowledge that I'm a ghost! Haha, we are real!" He swooped around in excitement and triumph, grinning from cheek to cheek.

"I've seen a lotta shit in this school so at this point I'm not that surprised." It was true; talking paintings, a teacher that was probably a ghost, and some hairy animal was more than enough to welcome me into this absurd wizarding world.

"You've just started, little one! But that water balloon was your initiation for becoming another target of mine. Congratulations." He bowed mockingly and I raised an eyebrow.

"If I were you, I'd be figuring out ways how to avoid me," I said menacingly and he cackled.

"No way! You're too much fun!"

I growled and was about to answer when I was knocked down to the floor. I looked up from my pained elbows to see Sirius Black looking down at me in bewilderment.

"Alex!" he said, sounding surprised, "what are you doing here?"

"I think I should be the one asking questions," I scowled, "like: why did you knock me down?"

"Oh, yeah, my bad." He hastily grabbed my hand and pulled me up. He looked like he was in a rush or in trouble, eyes shooting every which way. "I'd love to chat, but now isn't exactly the right time, love."

"CHILDREN OUT OF CLASS!" Peeves bellowed before I could respond to Sirius. "ON THE FIFTH FLOOR! COME AND SEE!"

Sirius cursed loudly and shook an angry fist at the laughing ghost.

I heard footsteps coming toward us around the corner of the hallway. With a quick glance at each other, Sirius and I dashed off as fast as we could, ignoring the shrieking Peeves that we left behind. Sirius took a sharp left so I followed, seeing as how he knew this castle much better than I did, and the hallway was lined with silver knights everywhere. Like the classic ones you'd see in movies and stuff. They always kinda crept me out; I felt as if they could just come alive.

"This way," Sirius breathed, running down the knight-filled hallway and disappearing around a corner. I followed after him, starting to feel both slightly annoyed and grateful. When I turned the corner I found myself right in front of a door and knew that, unless he had disappeared on the spot, Sirius was in there. I opened the door and, without exactly looking inside, closed the door behind me.

I didn't know what I was expecting when I turned back around but it sure wasn't Sirius's shirt in my face.

"Where the hell are we?" I growled, trying to move in the very cramped space. I glanced around but it was too dark to see anything.

"Lumos," Sirius whispered and the entire room lit up.

Except that it wasn't a room.

It was a closet. A closet filled with brooms and a few cleaning materials.

"Why would you choose a _closet_, of all places? I mean, this place is a freaking CASTLE, for cryin' out loud-!"

"Shh." He put a finger to his lips and I scowled, thinking that he was shutting me up because I was annoying him or something, but refrained from speaking when I heard muttering outside. I froze and still had my face against Sirius's white shirt that smelled of cologne and mint.

I could hear footsteps walk by and there was a small meow. I didn't like cats one bit. They were annoying little creatures that spent their time either takin' care of business, sleeping, or scratching. Not to mention that cats and dogs were morbid enemies.

The mutterings and footsteps were gradually getting fainter until I could hear them no longer. Both Sirius and I were very quiet, the only sounds were of us breathing. I felt his chest rise and fall with every breath.

"I think he's gone," I whispered after a long moment.

"Yeah." He turned around, or, well, attempted to. I rolled my eyes and opened the door, the pair of us stumbling out.

"Remind me why you dragged me along?"

"If he saw you, you'd in trouble," he said but didn't seem like he was paying attention to me at all; instead, his attention was on a piece of parchment he was opening up. It looked kind of like a map and he snatched it away when I peered for a closer look. "Sorry," he said to my aggravated expression, "it's sorta private."

"What, a diary?" I teased. He gave an amused sort of scoff. "No worries, though, I won't look."

I raised my hands and turned around, hearing him mutter a word of thanks. I sighed and dropped my hands, letting my shoulders sag. Now that I wasn't running or hiding and the excitement had drained away, I realized that I was still wet from the water balloon. I shivered and wrapped my hands around my shoulders.

"...Why are you wet?" Sirius asked. "Oh, wait, is it because of me?"

I laughed. "You wish."

"I do. There's proof on my mattress."

I laughed again and turned around, swatting at him playfully. He laughed too and held his parchment in front of him for defense.

"Please, love, stop!" he laughed as I continued to swat at him, "I need to go save my friend from his doom!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Doom?"

"He's stuck in Filch's office; I need to go rescue him!" He puffed out his chest all heroically and I giggled.

"Well, then, let me be your Batgirl!"

He stared at me. "What?"

I rolled my eyes. "Do you seriously not know who Batgirl is? Batman's sidekick? Ring a bell?"

"No."

"Oh, whatever, just count me in."

He looked surprised. "Is there a reason for this?"

I shrugged. "I don't have anything better to do. Besides, you and your friends helped me, so I oughta help you."

"Then let's get going," he grinned. I shot him a grin in return and we started to run off together. "So, who's in trouble? James?"

"Nah, Remus."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. We took a left and ran down a staircase. "He doesn't seem like the kind of kid to get in trouble."

Sirius chuckled and flashed me a grin. "That's because he's friends with me and James. We rub off on him. Oh, here we are." He stopped and I stopped as well, turning to see a closed door. After a quick glance at his piece of parchment, Sirius opened the door that was surprisingly unlocked. He walked in and I followed, glancing around at the messy office curiously. What the...? Were those manacles hanging from the ceiling?

"Moony!"

"Sirius?"

I turned to see Sirius's back and Remus rising from a chair.

"Did you just call him _Moony_?" I wondered if I had misheard.

"Yeah, that's his nickname," Sirius said as he turned around to look at me, lazily putting an arm around Remus. I stared at them for a long moment before bursting out in a fit of laughter. "What's so funny?"

"MOONY? What kind of nickname is THAT?" I squealed as I giggled. "Did he moon you or something?" I laughed at my own joke. "Dang, you two didn't come off to me as a gay pair."

They stared at me like I was some insane person. "Excuse me?" Remus asked.

"Aw, it's okay; I'm not against gays."

"Wha—we're not gay!" Sirius said, looking and sounding completely confused.

"Filch is coming," Remus said suddenly as he wretched the parchment out of Sirius's hands. Sirius quickly looked at the parchment and his eyes widened.

"Let's go," he said and walked right passed me. Remus followed, gesturing for me to come as well. We ran through the empty corridor. I was glancing over my shoulder for any sign of a person as Remus and Sirius kept on consoling to the parchment.

Somebody grabbed my hand and I was pulled, my back and head hitting a hard surface. Wincing, I put a hand to the back of my throbbing head and turned to see that I was up against the wall, Sirius and Remus on either side of me. There was a bump in the wall so that from whoever was walking toward us wouldn't be able to see us; we were invisible from that angle.

There was some mumbling from our left, which I assumed to be the reason as to why I had been thrown against the wall.

Then was a shout of fury and some loud clomping as somebody ran around angrily. Sirius stifled a snicker and Remus stiffened. Then, much to my horror, I saw a cat sit down in front of us and meow.

"Ah, you found someone, did you?" a man's wheezing voice said as footsteps hurriedly came our way. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sirius slip out his wand and whisper, "Aguamenti."

A jet of water shot out of his wand, aimed at the floor, creating a puddle.

"Let's go!" he shouted over the noise of a splash and an angry shriek from the cat. He started to run but accidentally bumped into me, which resulted in a loss of balance and a trip over the slippery water.

Damn it.

I was already wet, but now my ass was too? Great, just great. As I grumbled and swore underneath my breath, a pair of hands pulled me up. Without looking back, I ran through the watery mess, right behind a head of brown. I felt the water dripping off me and shivered, but continued to run, ignoring the water that stuck to me uncomfortably.

"I'LL GET YOU KIDS!" a shout echoed down the hall.

"C'mon!" I said, grabbing Remus's arm and tugging him to the left.

"But Sirius-!" He pointed to the figure much farther ahead, his bobbing black head disappearing after another corner.

"Will find us later." I heard footsteps clambering toward us from behind. Daring a glance over my shoulder, I saw a man turn the corner. I quickly looked back at Remus's bewildered face and opened the door adjacent to us. There was a sign on it that read "Out of Order" but I shoved passed it and hastily got inside.

"Euh, this place's a dump," were the first things that tumbled out of my mouth. There was a dirty and cracked mirror above a row of dirty sinks. All the doors to the stalls looked old and cracked. The air itself felt moist and damp; it made me wiggle my shoulders in dismay.

"Alex, I don't think this is a—"

"Shush!" I hissed and he silenced obediently. There were mutters outside the closed doors. "C'mon," I muttered and quietly dashed passed the sinks, heading for a stall.

"What are you doing?" Remus hissed behind me.

"Hiding!"

Just as he opened his mouth to respond, the doors that led into this dirty ass bathroom cracked open. I jumped into the closest stall and was about to close it behind me when Remus jumped in too. He quickly closed the door behind him and when he turned around his nose brushed up against my forehead; that was how close we were.

I mouthed, "You couldn't have chosen another stall?"

He only looked at me sheepishly and shrugged. Sighing, I shook my head but froze when I heard footsteps enter the bathroom.

"Anybody in here?" the same croaky voice came again.

Shit.

I climbed on top of the bathroom seat, crouching over and making sure my feet were firmly off the ground. Remus looked confused at first but seemed to realize at what I was getting at, so he too climbed up on the other side of the seat. We both held our breath, not just for the horrid stench, but in case that dude (Filch, I think) was passing by us.

"Hey! This is a _girl's_ bathroom!" a high female voice shrieked.

"Myrtle! Did you see or hear anybody come in here? I was looking for these kids that got away from me…"

"I was minding my own business, thinking about death, until you came in! Now get out, OUT!" Her voice echoed throughout the empty stalls, sending vibrations down into the toilet water. Euh.

I heard footsteps scurry out and a hiss from a cat before the doors closed. The girl sighed and grumbled a few things underneath her breath: I caught "caretakers" and "ghosts can't do anything…"

"…Is it safe?" Remus whispered to me, his chocolate brown eyes flickering to me. For some reason they seemed to shine brighter in this dark and filthy environment. His eyes were really pretty, a beautiful chocolate, liquid brown. Why couldn't I have brown eyes like those?

"I think so," I mumbled back, snapping out of my trance. "That girl scared her off."

Something in his expression changed. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing," he grumbled quietly.

I looked at him curiously. "What do you mean by that?"

He didn't get a chance to respond because a terrified shriek came from our right. We both turned to come face to face with an ugly transparent girl.

I yelped in surprise, losing my balance and falling into the…

Really? God, you must really hate me. I mean, just because I didn't believe in you didn't mean that you had to be such an ass. You were supposed to be nice to everybody, right?

The ghost girl was squealing with laughter and Remus grabbed onto my elbows to help me up but I shook him off, too aggravated for help. I stepped out of the toilet and looked down at myself in disgust. First, it's water balloons, then a slip on my ass, and now TOILET water? This was simply too much water for one day.

"Exaresco!" Remus said and I felt the water disappear off my clothes, letting me feel much lighter and less disgusting.

"Thanks," I said appreciatively and turned around to meet his chin. "We should probably get out of here."

"Good idea."

I unlocked the door and walked out, Remus right behind me. We started to walk toward the exit when the ghost swooped in front of us, stopping us in our tracks. I actually considered to go right through her but thought that it would be sorta weird.

"So there _are_ people in here!" she huffed, moving in toward me. Ew, this ghost had pimples. What kind of ghost had _pimples_?

"Yup, and we were just on our way to go," I said and was about to move passed her when she blocked my path. I raised an eyebrow.

"Not until I know what you two were doing in here." There was something about that mischievous smile on her face that told me she was thinking in a way that little children ought not to know.

"We weren't gonna have sex, if that's what you were asking."

Her lips cracked into a smile and she burst out in a fit of laughter. Remus fidgeted beside me. "Oh my!" she squealed, swooping around, "you Americans sure are open when it comes to sexual talks!"

I shrugged, taking it as a compliment. "Why not? People have sex all the time; what makes people so uncomfortable to talk about it?"

Remus grumbled something inaudible and I looked at him, saying, "Does it make _you _uncomfortable?"

"Yes."

I snickered and the ghost girl giggled.

"Well, my dear Remus," I said as I wound an arm around his shoulder and watched his eyebrows rise, "you and I are going to have plenty more conversations on this topic."

"Must we?" he groaned in a way that made me laugh; he sounded so tortured.

"Well, that's a start right there—groaning is something that happens when people have sexual interaction."

"…We should go find Sirius."

I sighed and dropped my arm back to my side. "Fine, but our conversation isn't over yet!"

I started to walk when a chill went through my body, as if I had been suddenly drenched in ice cold snow that didn't accumulate on me.

"What the-?"

"Hey!" the ghost girl shrieked, twirling around to face me and she stared at me behind her bulky glasses. "What was that for?"

"What was what for?"

"Don't play innocent with me!" she shrieked. "You went right through me!"

"Oh, seriously? That's what that chill was? My bad."

She wailed and swooped away, flying aimlessly along the ceiling. "Just because you can go through me doesn't me that I don't feel it!"

I paused. "You can feel me? I didn't think ghosts could feel anything."

She swooped back down; her ugly face was a few inches away from mine. "I have feelings too!" she shouted. "How would you like it if people kept on trying to go through you?"

"Calm down, dammit!" I shouted, stomping my foot. "Are you PMSing or something? Oh, wait, I don't think ghosts can PMS!"

She looked as if I just chucked something at her. She flew off with a loud wail and flung herself into an open stall, down into the toilet, water splashing out.

"…Did she just go into a toilet?" I asked Remus in disbelief.

"I believe you hurt her feelings."

"No, really?" I said sarcastically.

"You should go and apologize to her."

I looked at him as if he was crazy. "What did I do? It was an accident!"

He gave me a look that said 'of course it was your fault'. "Just apologize."

"Why don't you go and apologize to her, if you care about her so much?" I stubbornly folded my arms across my chest. "I didn't do anything."

He sighed and shook his head. "Myrtle, I'm really sorry for what my companion said to you!"

"Go away!" was the response he got and I snickered. He gave me a look but was unable to hide the amused look. It was a bit cute, the way he was trying to hide his laughter.

"As you wish, your highness," I shouted to her, my voice echoing through the empty stalls, and dashed out of there with Remus on my heels just as I heard the "HOW DARE YOU-!"

"Whew, I think—"

"—Very rude of you to just—"

Shit. I'd forgotten that ghosts could, ya know, go through things.

"Look, Myrtle, I'm really sorry about what happened, but Alex and I really have to go now," Remus said all politely. What a good chap. Hah. I could totally pass as a British. Or was that Scottish? Nah, I think it was British. Anyways, that didn't really matter at the moment...

"Sorry isn't going to cut it!" she sneered.

"Suck it up," I snapped at her. "C'mon, let's go," I said to Remus. He looked a bit unsure, eyes flicking from Myrtle to me, seemingly deciding who was scarier.

"Okay," he said after a moment.

"Good choice."

We turned around and ran off, Myrtle's shrieks echoing behind us.

* * *

><p><em>Finally. This chapter took longer than I intended it to be...I sorta had writer's block and just couldn't focus...so sorry about that. I don't really know if I'll even bother publishing until after final (which is in a month) but I usually update once a month anyway so I guess it doesn't make a difference.<em>

_Can you believe that Alex has only been at this school for...3 days? Or 2? O.O It's not like every day is a chapter or anything, but the first few days are pretty crucial.  
><em>

_Oh, and I'd like to thank everybody for the reviews! I don't think I've ever had this many reviews in only 5 chapters :P Reviews make me happy and I feel so much more motivated, so keep 'em coming! :D  
><em>


	6. Chapter 6

"Pass the potatoes?"

"Here yah—ah! Damn! My sleeve!"

"Haha! Do you want me to lick that off you, love?"

"You're into that kinda stuff? It's a sleeve, for God's sake!"

"But it's _your_ sleeve."

"What the—and I thought my mind was messed up!"

"You don't know the definition of messed up until you meet Sirius."

"Hey, that was uncalled for, Moony!"

"You know I'm kidding!"

"Are you really? I don't think you'd have that silly grin on your face if you were kidding."

"People laugh when they make a joke, stupid!"

"Hey! It's not nice to call people stupid, love."

"Shut up."

"Hah! I win!"

"Wha—this isn't a game! Heck, if it is, it's only begun!"

"Oh, you wanna try? C'mere you!"

"Hey, cut that out! Ah! You dumbass! Look at what you've done to my face!"

People started to glance over at the four of us (though I didn't really think Peter should've been counted…) and the ruckus we were making. I simply ignored them, not giving a damn if we were being loud.

James burst out in a fit of laughter and pointed at my face, slamming a fist against the table. Peter was staring at me with his mouth open slightly and Remus merely shook his head, chuckling quietly. I glared at James, which only made him laugh harder. My face was covered in a gooey sorta substance that Sirius had smeared over me. And he apparently found it hilarious too. What a jackass.

I shoved him in annoyance. Then, with a smirk, I grabbed a hold of his shirt and rubbed my face all over it. There was a yelp and I released him, smirking widely at my masterpiece. There was orange goo all over his shirt now. Hah! That showed him!  
>However, much to my disappointment, it disappeared with a flick of his wand. Damned magic. It wasn't fair!<p>

I grumbled a few words underneath my breath and turned to finish my dinner. I could see Sirius smirking all haughtily beside me but I ignored him, focusing on my steak instead. That was very delicious, by the way. I wondered if they had professional cooks at this place.

"You still have a little bit of that jelly on your face, love," Sirius said and I scowled at him.

"And whose fault is that?"

"Oh, c'mon love, it was just a joke! Weren't you the one that said people laugh when they make a joke?"

I could only scowl at him response. Damn, this boy was good.

He swiped something off the corner of my mouth with his finger and I scrunched my nose when he did.

"All gone!" he said happily, cocking his head all cutely. Why did he have to be so damn good-looking? It made me scowl even more. He laughed. "Don't look so mad, love! I was just playing!"

"Then why don't you go _play _with one of your boys?" I jerked my head towards the three across the table. "I'm sure you'd like that. After all, Remus over there mooned you, right?" I smirked. He immediately seemed to get the message. Hah. What a dirty minded little boy.

"First off, I only play with girls," Sirius purred, leaning in toward me. I pushed him away instead of backing up myself. "I can show you sometime, if you like."

"I'm good."

His eyes lit up. "You mean you will?"

I raised an eyebrow. "That means no."

His face fell and he looked like a sad little puppy. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Positive for what? Maybe I'll change my mind."

I punched him on the arm. "Asshole," I growled. "And since you're so into being an asshole, I'm assuming you like them."

"What do you mea—you did not just."

"I just did."

James whistled and laughed. Remus and Peter both seemed downright confused.

"I see that I've met a worthy opponent," Sirius smirked and bowed his head.

"And I see that I've met one that I can easily defeat."

He smirk widened. "We'll see about that, won't we, love?"

"You won't be able to see by the time I'm through with you."

James let out a long whistle. "You better watch your back, mate. Some tough company just flew in."

"She did fly in from America, after all," Peter added and quickly darted his ugly little eyes to me, as if he was worried I would punch him for saying that. I grinned at him and he seemed a bit relieved, letting out a long breath.

"So, Alex," Remus said conversationally, "did you play any sports back at your school?"

"Not on a team. Just for fun."

"But you're planning to play Quidditch, right?"

"Yeah. I would've played if, yah know, there was such thing as Quidditch outside of the wizarding world. There's only lacrosse and volleyball. Bleh. I prefer football, but girls aren't allowed on the team. Which is bullshit, if you ask me."

James and Sirius were staring at me with weird expressions, Peter with his usual scared but kinda zoned out face, but Remus looked like he understood what I said. At least someone here had a brain.

"I have no idea what any of those things are," Sirius said.

"I could tell by that idiotic expression on your face."

"Hey!"

"Then do you even know how to play Quidditch?" James asked me. "You've never played before, right?"

"I don't know how to play, but that Captain chick—Lucinda something?—said that I should ask somebody that played on the team last year."

James's face darkened. "She probably means someone on the Slytherin team from last year, right?"

"Yeah."

"I wouldn't trust any of them. They're all gits."

I frowned. "Then who would I ask?"

His eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Then Sirius said, with his face brightened up, "You should, Prongs!"

Oh God. He had a stupid nickname too? I laughed and earned questioned looks.

"What's so funny?" James huffed. "You don't think I'm good enough?"

"Not that!" I giggled. "Your nickname—it's…it's…" I laughed some more, letting my head fall to the table.

"This again, love? What's so funny about Prongs?"

"What do you mean by 'again'?"

"She laughed at Moony's nickname too. I don't understand why…"

The fact that they didn't understand why I found it so hilarious made me laugh even harder.

"Oh, come off it now!" Sirius said and shook my already shaking shoulders. "What's so funny about it this time?"

"Prongs," I said as I looked up, giggling a bit. "I didn't know you wore thongs, James."

They looked really confused now. "What's a…thong?" Remus said slowly.

Oh. My. Lord.

My stomach was actually starting to hurt from laughing for so long.

"Oh well," James said, probably tired and irritated from all my laughing, especially since he didn't understand, "I'll teach you Quidditch, if you want."

I stopped laughing and looked up at him. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, sure, why not? But you might end up being some competition, since my teaching would make you an expert."

Someone was a little too sure of himself. Well, either way, I guess I should've been grateful.

"Thanks, man! I really appreciate it!"

He grinned. "No problem."

"Now that that's all settled," Remus said, "can I finish my dinner?"

"Of course, your highness," Sirius said and half-bowed. Damn! That was the total butler thing right there, especially because of his British accent. It made it sound like an actual professional. I giggled. Remus chuckled and shook his head, starting to slurp on his soup.

"You like slurping that soup, Remus? Putting your tongue everywhere and sucking things?"

An eruption of laughter exploded around me. Damn, I didn't think it was _that_ funny. Oh well. I guessed these British boys weren't used a girl that had a mind like mine.

Remus had turned a slight pink but chuckled nonetheless, slapping James on the arm for laughing. Apparently he got what I was trying to say too. That was a first.

"Will you all be quiet?"

My eyes flashed dangerously to the scowling Blondie seats away from us. Of course she would have to ruin all the fun.

"No," I said to her and watched her face screw up in anger. The redhead beside her rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Just ignore them, Marlene," she said. "They're always obnoxious anyways."

But out sweet Blondie didn't bother to listen. She marched right up to us and put her hands on her hips. I saw Sirius's face drop a little.

"This table is for Gryffindors only," she sneered. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Only for those who give a damn."

Sirius laughed, which only seemed to further piss off Blondie.

"_I _give a damn."

"But nobody gives a damn that you give a damn…wait, am I going too fast for you?"

Sirius and James laughed loudly. Remus looked away. Peter looked like he was going to piss himself, as usual.

And Blondie was very red in the face. She stomped her foot like a spoiled little brat that didn't get her way.

"C'mon back," the redhead shouted to her. "Don't let her get to you."

"Yeah, go back to your mommy. She knows I'll sock you before you have the chance to cry."

She glared at me and stubbornly stayed in place, trying to appear threatening. But it sure as hell wasn't working.

"Did you hear that, Sirius?" Oh, what a lowly tactic that was. "She threatened me!"

"I didn't hear anything," Sirius mumbled. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Ugh!" she shrieked and stomped her foot again. "I can't believe you're on her side!"

"I'm on nobody's side," he replied calmly.

"Don't lie to me! And after all these years, you decide to side with the girl that's only been here for, what, three days? And one that _attacked_ me?" she said incredulously.

"Oh, stop crying, you whiny little bitch!" I snapped before Sirius could answer. "You're just pissed that I easily became friends with Sirius while you had to flaunt yourself everyday without any results until you, I'm assuming, slept with him."

I knew my words had an immediate effect on everyone: James and Sirius gaped, Remus stared at me with wide eyes, Peter covered his eyes only to peek out a gape, and Blondie was speechless.

"You…you…you little—!" She raised her wand and I stood up quickly, as did Sirius, stumbling out of his chair, when the redhead grabbed a hold of Blondie's arm from behind.

"Don't do anything that'll get yourself expelled," she said calmly yet sternly, her pretty green eyes ablaze with the protection of a mother. Blondie slowly lowered her arm but left her eyes locked on mine.

"Don't wanna get hurt, do you?" I cooed.

"And that," the redhead snapped, "is enough from you."

"You're not my mom."

"Now, now," James said as he stood up too, though he was on the other side of the table. "Let's all just calm down."

The redhead glared at him. "Shut up, Potter."

He pursed his lips. "C'mon love! I was just trying to help!"

"I don't need your help."

"Hey! He's just being nice, unlike your friend here!"

"Let's just go," the brunette from before said; apparently she'd walked over her. Damn, these British were fast. She calmly pulled Blondie and the redhead away from us, though they glared back at us.

Sirius sat down and pulled me down beside him. James sat back down as well. There was a moment of silence.

"Have any of you tried the pork yet?" Remus said and raised a slice on his fork. "It's delicious!"

I cracked a smile. Sirius and James chuckled. And just like that we were all babbling and fooling around again, all tension lost.

* * *

><p>"Hey," I said to Bertram as I took a seat beside him on the couch. He was the only person in this common room that I felt like I could actually speak to.<p>

But he avoided looking at me and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Why aren't you looking at me?" I demanded and felt slightly at unease. After all, he'd been the first one to be nice to me. He sighed and faced me, his expression unreadable.

"Listen, you're a great girl and all, but I don't think we're going to be able to be friends."

"Why not?"

"Because it'd sorta ruin my reputation."

I stared at him for a long time. Then, slowly, I said, "Your reputation?"

"Yeah. I mean, you're obviously more on the Marauders' side than on mine, and I hate the bloody gits, so why would I be friends with you?" He said it logically, as if it was a math problem.

"Just because I'm friends with them doesn't mean that I can't talk to you! I'll be friends with whoever I want to!"

"What will people say when they hear that I'm friends with a girl that's friends with the Marauders? I'd basically be disowned! No, no, I've worked too hard in my seven years of Hogwarts to get my reputation ruined by some new student. You're hot and all but..." He shrugged. "It's not worth it."

"You know what? Thanks for telling me this." He looked surprised as I nodded appreciatively. "Because it has showed me how much a true asshole you are. You're not all that better than Avery."

"Hey!" he snarled, anger evident, "I stood up for you and that's all you have to say? Call me an arse? I sent a curse at Avery because he insulted you, and this is the thanks I get?"

The slowly rising anger in me flared up. I stood up, knocking over someone's ink bottle. I ignored their 'hey!' and glared at Bertram. He looked a little uneasy, despite the tough face he was putting on for show.

"You didn't even stand up for me!" I jabbed a finger at his chest. "You stood up for yourself when he insulted _you_! So in the end, the only person you care about is yourself!"

"Why would I care about you?" he snapped right back, rising as well. "I don't even know you!"

"Yeah? Well, you'll never forget me this way!"

And I kicked him right where it hurt him most. He fell over with a loud groan, dropping down on his knees and holding his package. There was a burst of laughter around me but a few guys rushed up to help Bertram up.

"You bitch!" Bertram shouted at me and winced.

"Aw, will you not be able to have sex anymore?" I cooed, leaning down toward him. "It's okay, I'm sure you weren't that big in the first place, so it doesn't affect you much."

A few guys snickered and went 'ooh' or 'she got you good, mate!'.

And with that, I flipped Bertram off, and headed toward the dormitories.

* * *

><p>"Now lean over slightly—no, no that much! STOP!"<p>

"I don't know how to!"

"Just stop leaning forward!"

"Whoa! Watch where you're flying!"

"It's only my second time on a broom, 'lright?"

"But it's not that different from riding a—"

"I'm gonna run you over, you tea-sipping British boy—"

"Oi!"

"Watch out!"

"AHHH!"

I honestly had no idea how it happened, but I ended up looking into Remus's worried face. Poor kid. He was the only one that wasn't talking, or, at least when he did, it was just encouragement.

"My bad," I grumbled as I sat up and rubbed my head. Good thing I had my helmet on. It probably hurt Remus's lap, though.

"Are you alright?" Remus asked me. I turned to him and jumped back immediately; our faces had been only a breath apart.

"Oi, what are you two doing over there?" Sirius's playful voice came from the left. He was sitting on the other side of Remus. "No snogging while practice!"

Remus's face turned a bright red. "We weren't snogging, Padfoot!"

Another nickname? This one was much funnier than Prongs. Though I wouldn't say it topped Moony.

"Quit laughing! Get back over here, Piers!" James shouted from afar. I would've looked back at him if I wasn't laughing so hard.

"What's so funny about my nickname now?" Sirius said with a roll of his eyes.

"You're supposed to wear pads in your underwear, _love_!" I giggled. "Or maybe you can borrow one of James's thongs…I don't know if a pad would fit, though…"

Sirius appeared to understand this time; he laughed his bark-like laugh. Remus understood too, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. I playfully shoved him and he smiled, shoving me slightly too.

"PIERS!" James shouted and I looked at him floating on his fancy broomstick like a pro, "Get back here! Do you want to make it on the team or not?"

"Don't be such a grumpy bitch!" I shouted back with a grin as I mounted my fallen broomstick. I leaned forward and zoomed forth, pulling it back to stop right in front of James. And I mean right in front of. As in two inches apart. "Oops."

He flew backwards with a sigh. "You still have a lot of practice to do."

"Can you just tell me how the game works?" I whined. "We've been at this for hours!"

"Not until you get the basics," James said with a shake of his head. I pursed my lips. "And it's barely even been an hour," he added.

"Whatever."

"And it'd go by a lot quicker if you weren't so easily distracted."

I gaped at him. "Hey! It's not my fault! Sirius is the one bothering me!"

"It's good practice to ignore him too. There's plenty of cheering and booing fans during a game."

"Fine, _Mr. Potter_," I sneered. "I'll try to stay focused now."

"There's a good girl!" he said cheerfully. "No time for snogging Remus, alright?"

"Hey! I wasn't snogging him…whatever that means."

He raised an eyebrow. "You don't know what snogging means." It was a statement, really.

"No."

"It's an English word."

"Maybe a British-English word, but it sure as hell ain't no word I've ever heard of."

"Hm…well, it basically means kissing…very intensely. And for a long time."

"Oh, you mean like make out?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever." He waved me off. "It doesn't matter. Now here's how you do a spin…"

James was right. I learned much quicker when I ignored Sirius. He'd moved onto teaching me how to actually play Quidditch, which wasn't too difficult. It was kinda like basketball. Except we were flying. And maybe a little like football, 'cause we could hurt each other.

The four of us were on the ground now and were looking at the various types of balls involved in the game and who played with which ones. Hah.

"And this," James said as he held up a small golden ball, no larger than a golf ball, "is the Snitch. The Seeker tries to catch it. I'm the Seeker on the Gryffindor team and if I catch the Snitch (I always do) the game ends and my team earns an additional 150 points. Well, that's it. Have any idea what you want to do?"

I grinned widely. "Beater. Most definitely."

"Why am I not surprised?" he grinned.

"But the Quaffles are the biggest balls here…I thought that you'd want to play with the biggest ones?" Sirius smirked. James roared with laughter while Remus rolled his eyes.

"But they're red and weirdly shaped," I replied smoothly. "I think those ones would be perfect for you—you see, I like perfectly round ones. They're easier to play with."

Haha! I bet he wouldn't be able to think of a comeback for that!

"Enough," James cut in before Sirius had a chance to reply. "Stop flirting with my protégé and let us work!"

Remus chuckled and I snickered, pointing at Sirius.

"You got in trouble!" I giggled. He stuck his tongue out at me. James rolled his eyes but smiled as he handed me a short baseball bat.

"You hit the Bludgers with that," he said as he bent down to the black suitcase full of balls. "Let's first practice on the ground, shall we?"

Remus and Sirius immediately drew back, away from me and James. Before I had to chance to realize why, James had unbuckled the Bludger.

And it was heading right for my head.

"Hit it!" James shouted.

I swung my arm around and watched the Bludger fly high into the air. "Yes!" I shouted in triumph.

"Nice one!" James said. "Here it comes again!"

I swung at it and hit it once again, watching it fly off toward the bleachers with much satisfaction.

"Try hitting it while riding your broom this time," James said. "Quick, before it comes back!"

I did as he told me and flew up in the air, one hand on the broomstick, the other firmly on the bat. When the Bludger came flying back at me, straight for the face, I swung at it full force. I lost my balance for a split second but quickly regained it.

Then I heard a scream from below.

Oh shit. I hoped that wasn't because of me.

I flew back down and nearly fell off my broom at the landing. Damn, I really needed to work on that.

"Help me with this," James grumbled to me; he was on the ground, struggling for some reason. I dashed over beside him to see that he was trying to hold down the Bludger, that very nearly escaped his arms hadn't I jumped on it. The both of us, with some panting and sweating, managed to set it back in the case. James quickly buckled it up as I held it down.

"Who screamed? What happened?" I asked him.

"Remus," he mumbled. "The Bludger got him right in the face."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I snapped as I stood back up.

"I needed help with the Bludger!" James huffed. Well, I guessed that was understandable. With a sigh, I dashed off to Remus, who was with Sirius.

"Dude, I'm so, SO sorry!" I cried, craning my neck to see how he looked. He was holding a red handkerchief to his broken-looking nose. Oh shit! "Are you alright?" I extended my hand toward him but paused, unsure of what to do.

Yet he smiled at me and waved it off. "I've been better," he admitted.

"Sorry, really, I didn't mean it to go toward you…"

"What's this? Alex Piers is _apologizing_?" Sirius said in mock disbelief. I shot him a look but cracked a smile.

"Yes, it's bound to happen once in a while."

"Impossible."

I shoved him playfully and he laughed. Remus started to chuckle only to wince loudly.

"You should go to the Hospital Wing, mate," Sirius said, suddenly remembering his friend was injured.

"I'll take you," I volunteered and everybody looked at me, apparently surprised I'd go out of my way to help. "Don't look at me like that!" I huffed. "It's my fault, after all, so I oughta take him."

"We can all just go," James started and Sirius shot him a look. "What?"

Sirius wrapped an arm around his shoulder and the two turned their backs on us. They murmured a few things to one another before turning back around with contempt smirks.

"You two go on ahead then. You do know where the Hospital Wing, right?"

I narrowed my eyes at them, as did Remus. "What are you two up to?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Sirius said innocently.

"Yeah, what makes you say that?" James said with a sweet, innocent expression.

"You guys were just whispering about something," I said with a roll of my eyes.

"Do we really have time to discuss this? Moony's nose might be broken!"

I sighed. Damn, he had me there.

"C'mon, let's go," I said to Remus, who still looked wary of his smiling friends, as I dragged him off.

"Have fun," James's shout echoed from behind us as we lift the practice stadium.

"Have fun?" I grumbled. "How the hell are we supposed to have fun in an infirmary?"

"I don't know," Remus said with his muffled voice from the handkerchief, "but I do know that Sirius and James are up to something."

I shrugged. "They did seem suspicious, I guess, but they can't really do anything. They wouldn't dare lay a hand on an injured friend…would they?"

Remus chuckled. "No. I don't think they're going to do anything harmful, but…I just think they have something up their sleeves."

"You know them better than I do," I shrugged. We took a left and headed down the stairs.

"Yes, and after all these years, they're still unpredictable," Remus smiled. I smiled back and we walked in silence for a few moments.

"So, you ever got hit in the face with a Bludger before?"

He laughed and had to stop because it apparently hurt him. "No, actually, I haven't. This would be a first."

"First time for everything, right?" I grinned. He chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah, sure, if you want to go with that."

"I'm just trying to stay positive."

He raised an eyebrow but smiled. "You never came off to me as a positive person."

I laughed. "Really? Was it the sarcasm that gave me away or maybe my complaints? Hmm…"

"I'm not sure," Remus said as he tapped a finger against his chin. "It's tough to narrow it down."

I giggled and he chuckled. We took a right and walked down the empty hallway.

"Where is everybody?" I asked. "I thought there'd be more people, considering that we're in a castle."

"It is late," Remus pointed out. It was; it had been darkening outside when we were practicing. "Everybody's probably in their common rooms."

"Then maybe I'll wait for you until you get your nose fixed," I mumbled.

He looked at me curiously. "Why?"

"I hate everybody in my damn 'house'," I growled, feeling the blood pump through me as I thought of all the sneering faces. "They're all assholes. I just wanna punch some sense into all of them."

Remus nodded understandingly. "I don't like Slytherins either."

"Why did I have to be put with them?" I sighed. "I'm not _that _bad; I don't think I'm better than everybody else; I don't talk in that little 'I'm a rich kid' snobby voice; I'm not a freaking asshole!"

Remus meekly smiled and shrugged. "The Sorting Hat placed you where it thought you ought to be at. I don't think it's always that accurate, though, and you're living proof."

I smiled. I relaxed and felt my muscles relax as well. "Thanks. That was really sweet." And I really meant it.

He turned pink and looked away, mumbling a few words underneath his breath. Aw, how adorable! Remus was, undoubtedly, a cutie pie.

"Here we are," Remus said as he stopped in front of a pair of double doors. "Thanks for taking me here."

"I'm going to stay with you," I replied with a raise of an eyebrow. "You do realize that?"

"I don't want to be a burden."

"You're not."

"You'll be late to your common room!"

"We have a curfew?"

"Yes, and if you're out any later than ten, you'll get a detention!"

"That's only if someone sees me, right?"

"Well, yeah but…!" he spluttered.

"C'mon, we're wasting daylight…nightlight," I said and pushed open the doors. There were rows of white beds and one lady was fluffing up a pillow. She glanced over at us and her eyes widened upon Remus.

"Dear, what happened to you?" she said as she rushed up to him.

"I got hit in the face with a Bludger."

She examined him, tilting his head back. "That's a broken nose."

"I figured."

They looked at me. Remus seemed surprised that I wasn't as courteous as I probably should've been and the lady just narrowed her eyes at me.

"And can you fix a broken nose, Miss. Piers?"

How'd she know my name? "No."

"Then I suggest you go back to your common room and go to sleep. It's almost past your curfew."

"But—"

"No buts! No off to bed!"

"Bye," I said to Remus.

He smiled. "Good night."

"Off you go now!" the lady said.

"I'm going, I'm going!" I said as I put my hands up. Damn, what was she, a freaking police officer? Grumbling a few words underneath my breath, I exited the 'hospital' and closed the doors behind me.

I sighed and headed toward the stairs when I heard voices heading from the stairs toward me.

"…think so, Padfoot."

"Yeah? I think they'd work well."

I knew that they were Sirius and James right off the bat. Feeling a grin spread across my face, I was about to shout for them when I heard,

"I don't think Piers is Moony's kind of girl."

I closed my mouth.

"Maybe not, but it's not everyday he talks to girls. Sure, he has friends that are girls, but he shows no interest in them! He needs a girlfriend, mate!"

They were getting closer by the sound of it, so I quickly glanced around for anywhere to hide. There were just walls and hallways. Damn!

"I don't think he'd want one that went around beating up people on a regular basis. He needs a calmer girl."

I glared toward the dark stairs. Geez thanks James.

Sirius's bark-like laugh echoed. And they were even closer than I thought. As in five steps below me.

"James? Sirius? Is that you?" I said and made sure my voice was even yet curious. I heard them pause and murmur something to one another.

"Yeah?" was Sirius's response. "Alex?"

They dashed up the last few steps and appeared into the light. Sirius looked especially good-looking like that, the shadows from the torches dancing across his handsome face and illuminating his black hair.

"Hey!" I said, once again in a way that didn't make me sound too fake. If it was one thing I was good at, it was conveying my emotions. They both looked worried but tried to hide it with smiles.

"Just dropped Moony off at the Hospital Wing, I'm guessing?" James said.

"Yep. I think he'll be fine, but that nurse lady wouldn't let me stay with him!"

"Don't worry, it's nothing personal; that's just how Madam Pomfrey works," Sirius grinned. I could tell he was still uneasy by the way he stood in place; his right leg was shaking in that way people did when they were nervous. James flimsily adjusted his glasses, something I assumed he did when he was nervous.

"So, who needs the calmer girl?" I joked, elbowing Sirius in the stomach. They both seemed to relax immediately. It seemed as if deflated from all the air they let out.

"Just this fifth year; you don't know him. Let me tell you, though, that his girlfriend is out of her mind!" James said.

I laughed. "All right. I'll see you guys later?"

"In my dreams, love," Sirius winked.

"You'll be in mine too," I said and he raised his eyebrows. "I'll be sawing off your head with a chainsaw."

James howled with laughter while Sirius pursed his lips all cutely. Damn bastard probably knew how attractive he was.

"'Night," James chuckled and waved to me as I headed for the stairs.

"I'll still be dreaming about you," Sirius shouted after me.

"And I'll still be sawing off your head," I shouted back with a grin as I went down the stairs. Their laughs could be heard from behind, getting quieter and quieter until I could hear them no longer.

Me? With Remus?

I snorted loudly. Those boys were outta their pathetic minds. With a laugh, I walked toward the common room, and wondered what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

><p><em>Aaaand chapter 6 is complete! It's been a bit of a longer wait than usual; I know. And the next time I update would be either in these next two weeks or in the middleending of August. Hey! I'm trying, ok? :P I do work on two other stories, and it's hard for me to flip flop back and forth between different fandoms. I have to set my mind in the right place!_

_So, anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Be careful when it comes to James and Sirius...you never know what's going to happen with those two around. :))  
><em>


	7. Chapter 7

I was tired. So very tired. My eyes were already half-closed and a yawn escaped my lips. I'd stayed up late last night working on my homework. Yes, my homework. McDonalds threatened to fail me if I didn't do it. Not that I'd really care if I failed, but she also threatened to contact my dad. Damn, she had gotten me there.

"Hello? Anybody home?"

I blinked at a blurry outline of a waving hand, and saw that the hand was attached to Remus. His hair was a bit messy, as if he'd just rolled out of bed. It was cute.

"Morning," I yawned. He chuckled.

"Someone looks tired."

"That's because someone stayed up late last night doing her homework."

"When'd you go to sleep?" he asked with a concerned frown.

"Five."

His eyes grew. "Why did it take you that long? You could've started it once class ended; you would've finished by ten, at the most." He paused. "All that time you spent with us, you could've spent working on your homework!"

I pursed my lips. "Hey, that's not entirely my fault! You guys were the ones that distracted me!" I pointed at him accusingly. He raised his hands as if I was pointing a gun at him.

"You got a point there. Next time, though, tell us if you have a lot of homework to do."

"I didn't know you did your homework," Sirius said as he and Peter emerged out of the portrait in the wall. He grinned and Remus laughed. "You didn't come off to me as that type."

"I usually never do my homework, but McDonalds threatened to fail me and, more importantly, contact my dad if I didn't."

"She should've threatened to contact me. Then I would've given you an appropriate punishment." Sirius winked. Remus rolled his eyes and Peter snickered.

"Hah. If she threatened to contact you, I wouldn't have bothered with my homework."

"Aw, scared of a spanking, love?"

"What'd you say? I couldn't hear you 'cause you were talking outta your ass."

Remus's chuckle was joined in by James, who apparently had stayed in his dorm so long just to mess up his hair even more.

Despite our fun conversation, I still felt like I was half-awake. It was taking every inch of my being to keep my eyes open. We started to walk toward the cafeteria (Great Hall, whatever) to eat our breakfast. The boys were talking and laughing, but I really wasn't listening at all. Oh, how I wanted to close my eyes so badly.

"Alex?" I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. I opened my nearly-closed eyelids to look at Remus. He looked concerned. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah," I mumbled. "Just sleepy." That was an understatement.

Remus opened his mouth to continue but was interrupted by a "Whoa, Alex, you look like a zombie!" from James. Asshole.

"Yeah? Then I'm gonna eat your puny brain if you don't shut the f—"

I felt something tighten against my legs and I flipped over onto the floor. There were cackles and a shout of, "Peeves!"

But I didn't pay any attention to it. My eyes closed and my conscious began to slip away. I thought I heard Remus say, in a cracked voice, "Look what I've done…!"

* * *

><p>I awoke to a white ceiling. What in the…? I sat up to find myself on a pearly white bed. Many other white beds surrounded me. It kinda reminded me of—<p>

"Awake, are you? Took you long enough."

The nurse walked toward me, looking annoying. I rubbed my eyes. So I _was_ in the Hospital Wing. I thought it looked familiar.

"Why am I here? What happened?"

"You fell asleep."

I stared at her. "I just…fell asleep?"

She nodded. "Yes, it seems as if you've been a bit deprived of sleep for the past week or so. Am I correct?"

"Yeah, I did stay up late last night…and I guess I've been kinda busy." Quidditch practice was a lot more work than I'd expected, and a lot longer too. James would randomly pop quiz me on the moves and turns, so I had to remember all of them. I knew he was supposed to be helping me but…was he really? I felt like he was secretly being an ass so I wouldn't make the team and beat him in a game. 'Cause I totally would.

"Can I go now?" I asked, feeling more awake.

"Yes, back to class you go! You've already missed first hour. You should be grateful that I even let you sleep for so long."

"Thanks, I'm grateful," I said. And I really meant it; I felt so much more awake and myself now.

"Oh, wait," the nurse said as I flung off my blankets. "I noticed something strange on your legs, and decided to take a look at it." She hesitated. "Where did you get the scratches on your legs, Miss. Piers?"

"Does it really matter how I got them? It's fine as long as they haven't done any damage to me, right?"

She raised her eyebrows slightly, apparently displeased that I hadn't explained where I'd gotten my scratch. That was none of her damn business. "Well…yes, I suppose. But if you got that scratch how I think you got it…" She handed me a little bottle that was on the desk beside me. "Apply this ointment on your injury every night before you got to bed. The scratches will be gone within a few days."

"Okay, thanks," I said as I took it and jumped out of bed.

"You're welcome. Go to class, I have much to do around here." She shooed me away as she started to fix my messy bed.

I walked out and into the empty hallways. Recalling that the nurse (_Madam _Pomfrey, was it?) said that I'd already missed first hour, I headed toward my second hour. I took a right and heard a shout of, "you filthy Mudblood! You shouldn't talk to me in that…"

I immediately tensed and looked back and forth, my eyes narrowed. The voice had come from ahead, and wasn't directed toward me. I ran down the hall and came to a stop at the corner, taking a peek.

There was the redhead that so often stood up for her Blondie. She was tied up by ropes and was struggling. A guy, assuming that it was from his back, was slowly stepping toward her. I quietly crept up toward them, careful not to make a sound.

"Thought you could outsmart me? You're nothing. Nothing but a filthy Mudblood. A freak of nature. That's what you are."

"I'd rather be a freak of nature than what you are," the redhead spat.

"Shut up!"

"If you want to shut me up, how about you use the spell? Oh, or do you not know the spell to silence people?"

"Don't mock me!" he roared and pointed a wand at her threateningly. "I will teach you what we purebloods are made of! This is what happens when you try to back sass me, Mudblood! _Cru_—"

I locked my hands together and slammed them against the back of his neck, cutting off his spell. He fell to the floor with a shriek. Just when I thought I'd knocked him out, he twisted around, still on the floor, and shouted, "_Flipendo tria_!"

My feet left the floor and I was flung across the hallway, landing on back. Hard.

I immediately jumped up, ignoring the stinging pain in my back. I recognized the asshole as Rosier.

"I'm gonna kill you!" I shouted. "Fight like a man, will ya?" I screamed as I advanced toward him. He narrowed his eyes as he kept his wand pointed at me. "Are you gonna attack me with your little stick again? I bet you're scared that I'm gonna beat the hell outta you." I paused and smirked widely. "I guess wizards—purebloods, you say, don't you?—don't have much guts. You guys just hold on to your precious sticks for life. You'd be nothing, _nothing_ without that wand you have. You wouldn't survive in my world. You can't. It's too hard for you."

That seemed to do it for him. With a face contorted of rage, the Slytherin shouted, "_Cru_—"

"_Stupefy_!"

Rosier fell face-flat to the floor, revealing the redhead from behind. She had somehow undone her ropes and was holding her wand, which she had pointed at Rosier and was breathing heavily. For a moment we just stared at each other.

Then I walked to the fallen jackass and stared at him curiously. "What'd ya do to him?" I asked.

"I Stunned him."

"Which means…?"

"He'll be out for a bit."

"Ah, okay," I said as I looked away from him and to the redhead. "Thanks for, ya know, saving me back there."

She smiled. "You saved me first. Thanks."

I shrugged. "It was nothin'."

"Should we get going before he gets up?"

"Good idea." We dashed off the empty hallway and went up a flight of stairs. I didn't care where we went, as long as it was away from the scene. "So," I said, "what the hell was going on?"

"I was on my way to class, late because I had to stay behind to ask Professor Flitwick something, when Rosier just started to shout all these nasty words at me. We started to argue and battled a bit before he cast the spell to tie me up in ropes. Then you came along."

"What was that spell he kept trying to attack us with? Cru somethin'."

"Crucio," she muttered. "It's one of the five Unforgivable Curses. It causes unbelievable pain. It's really dark magic."

"So he was trying to cast dark magic on us? When I get my hands on that bastard later…" I cracked my knuckles. "Ooh, I'm so fired up right now." I really was. I had an urge to go back and beat the snot out of Rosier. Or even punch a wall. Repeatedly. I just had to punch something.

"Calm down," she smiled and put a hand on my shoulder. "We'll get back at him later. I'm Lily, by the way."

"You haven't," I agreed and smiled back, relaxing my muscles slightly. "It's about time I learned your name."

She laughed. "I know right? I can't believe I never told you." She paused. "I know you and I don't really get along much but…"

"That's because Blondie and I hate each other," I pointed out.

"That's true. She can be a bit of a handful at times…"

"A bit?" I raised an eyebrow. "She's like a spoiled little five year old!"

Lily giggled. "She's not as bad as you think! If you learn to get to know her you might even become friends with her."

I snorted. "When pigs fly. Until then, I'm fine with just being chill with you."

"That's not a bad idea. Hey, I better get going to class. I'll…see you around, I guess?"

"Sure." I shrugged. "Catch ya later, then."

She smiled and waved before disappearing around the corner.

Well. That was that. Lily wasn't really that bad, honestly, and she could do a lot better than Blondie.

I sighed and turned around, heading back toward my original destination: class.

* * *

><p>"Ready to become the next Beater?" Remus asked me with a grin as he approached me. I smirked in return.<p>

"Hell yeah I am. Where are the boys?" It was only Remus; the other three weren't here. The two of us started to head toward the Quidditch field.

Remus gave me an apologetic smile. "They couldn't make it. Sorry."

"It's not your fault," I reassured. "It's theirs. Probably too busy trying to get laid." Well, in that case, it was only Sirius and James. I don't think anybody would wanna lay a finger on Peter. "Jackasses."

He laughed. "They told me to wish you luck though. I believe James told me to tell you to 'kick some Slytherin arse'."

I smirked widely. "Oh, trust me; I will kick some Slytherin ass. I'll show them what a half-blood American's made of."

"That's the spirit!" Remus encouraged and shook my shoulders. "Keep it up!"

I giggled and swatted him away. "You sound like a coach."

"It's because I am. I'm your guidance coach! I'll lead you to victory with my cheering!" Remus stopped walking, got down on one knee, and threw a fist in the air. "You got this, Alex. I'm here to cheer you on!"

It was obvious his corniness was a joke and it sure had me giggling like a little girl. I playfully pushed him and he grinned, standing back up.

"Thanks, guidance coach," I joked.

"Not a problem! Anything for my star pupil!"

I rolled my eyes and laughed again. "Oh, cut it out."

Remus grinned at me. His face lit up each time he smiled or grinned. It was cute, kinda like a five year old lighting up every time he saw free ice cream.

"So, are your legs alright now?" he asked after a moment. I'd told him and the rest of the gang that they'd gotten screwed up and how I had to take medicine to fix it. And, by the way, that medicine tasted like shit. Thank God I didn't have to drink it anymore.

"Yeah, they've healed now."

"Good, good…" He hesitated. "So, how exactly did you get those scratches?"

I paused and glanced around to make sure nobody was nearby. Just in case, I leaned in toward him. "Do you really wanna know?" He nodded. "Okay. So, I decided to crawl out of the castle one night."

I thought he'd look more surprised, but all he said was, "Why?"

"It was only the second night I was here; I wanted to get back home."

He raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly were you planning on getting home?"

I raised an eyebrow too and folded my arms. "I'm assuming you don't wanna listen to the rest of my story?"

"No, I do, sorry!" he said hurriedly. "I'll stop talking." He made a gesture of zipping his mouth shut.

"Fine," I grumbled, feeling annoyed, "but if you interrupt me again, I'm not gonna tell you. Okay?" He nodded vigorously. "So." I shook my shoulders and cleared my throat. "I was out on the grounds when I saw this weird…creature." An image of it blurred in my mind and made me shiver. "It kinda looked like a wolf, but it wasn't exactly a wolf. It chased me into the forest and I had to take cover in a tree. It scratched my legs while I was climbing up it. And that," I concluded, "is how I got the scratches on my—hey, you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost."

He really did; his face was extremely pale. He sorta had a blank, guilty stare on his face. "I'm fine," he muttered even though he sure didn't look fine. "I'll be at the bleachers, okay?" And then he took a right and just hurried on off.

That was weird. I wondered if he was alright. Hopefully he wasn't sick or anything. With a quiet sigh, I walked out to the large field. I frowned as I looked up at the few up in the air on their broomsticks already.

"You're late, Piers," a female voice said in a clipped tone to my right. I turned to see Lucinda Talkalot with an aggravated expression on her pretty face. There were a few others beside her.

"So you started without me?" I said angrily. "That's not fair!"

"What's not fair is making me wait five extra minutes."

"But you didn't wait an extra five minutes!"

"Exactly; had I waited for you, I would've wasted five minutes."

"So you're not letting me try out?"

"Lucky for you the Beaters hadn't tried out yet." She looked frustrated, as if she wanted me to have missed it. "But I will not let you off the hook so easily next time if you're late."

I smirked. "It seems like you've already accepted me on the team."

A snide voice to her left said, "You wish, filth." Lucinda's nose flared as Avery casually rested his elbow on her shoulder. "I'm going to be Beater."

I opened my mouth to retort but Lucinda beat me to it; she twirled around, took Avery's arm, and twisted it. He let out an alarmed sound and quickly pulled his arm back.

"If you keep acting like you own this team, you're sure not going to be on it," she hissed threateningly. He scowled and didn't respond. I smirked widely.

A few of the players that'd been flying in the air returned back to the ground. My eyebrows rose when I recognized one of them: it was the kid that looked similar to Sirius. He was the one who had battled Sirius and had been blasted away by Remus and me when I'd started the food fight.

"Good job guys." Lucinda nodded at them. "Now we'll start with the Beaters. All of you get up there and I'll unleash a Bludger. You'll beat it around to each other until there are two left standing…flying. Got it?" She glanced around at us. We all grunted or grimaced in response. "Then get going!"

I grabbed my bat, mounted my broom, and zoomed off. The familiar rush filled me up as I flew toward the middle of the field. Oh, how I loved to fly on a broomstick. Hah. Never thought I'd say that.

I glanced around to see the other three zoom after me. There was the bastard Avery and two others I didn't recognize. One of the dudes appeared to be fairly young, maybe a little younger than Sirius and his gang (they were around fifteen, right?). He had a mop of blonde hair on his freckled and pale face. The other had brown hair and had to be around my age. He had an extremely stoic expression which seemed to fit perfectly with his high cheekbones.

"You're going down," Avery hissed at me. "Only a true Slytherin, a pureblood, will ever make it on this team."

"Oh, we'll see about that," I mused. He scowled darkly and glanced around at the two around him.

"We better take her down."

I raised an eyebrow. "Three against one? Were you born without a pair of balls, Avery? If you need some, I can lend you mine."

His face turned a fierce shade of red and the kid with the freckled face snickered. Avery shot him a dangerous look.

"Shut up, Crouch," he snapped. "You want a half-blood on the team?"

That seemed to shut him up; he straightened and said, "No. That'd be an insult to the Slytherin name."

I've never hated people as much I hated the bunch of assholes that called themselves 'purebloods' or 'Slytherins'. I clenched onto my broom, feeling as if I'd break it. I even preferred the jerks back at home over these! At least once you cussed them out they'd cut it out.

A Bludger flung itself into the middle of a circle, forcing us all to break apart. I tightened my grip on my bat as I watched the Bludger fly toward Avery. He nearly fell off his broom as he swung his bat toward the Bludger. Amazingly, it hit, and flew right toward me.

"You see that?" I heard Avery shout in glee as I pounded my bat against the flying ball. I smirked when I saw Avery's face fall and then contort in anger.

"You see that?" I shouted at him, in a mocking high-pitched British accent. I laughed at the unbelievably angry and red face he wore.

"Go Alex!" I heard somebody shout from behind. I glanced over my shoulder to see Remus waving enthusiastically at me. I smiled and waved back.

"Oh, you have two boyfriends now, do you?" I heard Avery shout at me. I glanced back at him, annoyed, and saw the brunette flying away from the Bludger, hands over his head. A second Bludger started to fly right toward me. "You're a whore, just like your—"

I rammed the Bludger with my bat and watched it zoom toward Avery with amazing speed. And I realized why he'd gotten cut off; the Bludger I'd hit had knocked him right in the mouth. I watched, with much satisfaction, Avery fall off his broom and zoom toward the ground.

"How you like me now?" I shouted down at him, laughing. "I BEAT YOUR ASS!"

The brunette followed shortly, apparently getting knocked down by a senseless Bludger. The whistle blew. I flew down toward the ground, landing right on my feet. Hah, James taught me how to do that well. I glanced around. There was no Avery to be seen. I hoped he was dead.

"Welcome to the Slytherin Quidditch team, Piers and Crouch," Lucinda said to us. "We'll start practice next Saturday at five. And be _on time_." She sent me a meaningful look.

I nodded, feeling a wide grin stretch across my face. I made it! I'd beat Avery! Letting out a whoop, I exited the field, not caring that everybody else was either staring or talking about me.

"Alex! Alex!"

I turned to the right to see Remus running toward me. I squealed and jumped on him, clinging onto him like a koala. He laughed as he stumbled back, trying to gain his balance.

"I made the team!" I shouted as I placed my hands on his shoulders so I could take a look at his face. He was grinning like a doofus.

"Congratulations!" he shouted back and did a little twirl, making me shriek and giggle as I clung onto him tightly.

"It's all thanks to my brilliant teaching, of course."

Remus and I turned our heads to see a grinning James and a smirking Sirius.

"I think you interrupted something, mate," Sirius said to James, his smirk widening. It took me a moment to register what he was talking about: I was still on Remus. I jumped off him.

"Way to come _after_ the tryouts, assholes."

"We didn't know you two would be busy! My apologies," Sirius said, trying to sound sincere. James snickered and Remus turned a bright red.

"Shut up, you two," Remus grumbled.

"Aw, look at our boy blushing!" Sirius cooed, grinning. "Since when did you know how to get a girl to—?"

"Because he's got more game than you," I smirked widely, casually resting an arm against Remus's shoulder. I saw Remus raise his eyebrows out the corner of my eye and Sirius's eyebrows rose so high they disappeared under his hair. James let out a little 'ooh' that just made the moment oh so perfect.

"What'd you say, love?"

"You heard me loud and clear, babe. After all, Remus was the one who supported me during the tryouts; I think he deserves a little extra something for his efforts, don't you?"

Sirius's gaping, astounded expression almost made me burst into giggles, but I managed to keep my lips in a smirk.

"If only you came to watch me," I said with a sad shake of my head. "You would've gotten a reward too…oh well, too bad."

James whistled and laughed. "She just got you good, mate." He nudged Sirius. Hell yeah I did.

"Piers."

I turned around to see the same brunette that had been at the tryouts. He gave a look of disgust at all of us, which was returned by James and Sirius, who seemed to snap out of his reverie.

"What? You need something?"

"What he needs is a kick in the arse," James growled lowly. The Slytherin ignored the Gryffindor. Well, not completely. He flipped James the bird, but his eyes were still on mine.

"I have a message from Avery."

"Oh, so he really is dead, and you're like his angel or something?"

Sirius snickered at this. The Slytherin rolled his eyes. "He's in the Hospital Wing, you bloke. He wanted me to tell you to meet him at the Trophy Room at 10 tomorrow night."

I raised an eyebrow. "And what the hell makes him think I'd agree?"

"He knows you wouldn't miss out on a chance to duel."

"A duel?" I repeated. I wasn't the only one who appeared to have misheard; the three boys also shouted it.

"Yeah, a wizard's duel. Scared to lose?"

I snorted loudly. "Lose to _him_? It's more likely that Lily would go out with James."

"Hey!"

"Tell Avery I'd be there, messenger boy," I said to the brunette, ignoring James.

"The name's Wilkes," the brunette spat. "And I'm not a messenger. I'm Avery's friend."

"Friend?" I raised an eyebrow. "He has those?" Sirius snickered and Remus shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm surprised you do too. But, hey, losers are friends with each other, right?"

I put my hands on my hips. "Yeah, which is exactly why you and Avery didn't make the team."

His face bunched up in anger as James and Sirius went 'ooh'. Without another word, he twirled around and stomped off, his robes billowing behind him.

"Anyways…" I said and turned to face the boys. Sirius and James looked excited but Remus looked worried.

"Do you realize what you just got yourself into?" Remus said.

"Yeah. So anyways, the other day I was—"

"This is serious, Alex!" Remus interrupted. "You just agreed to duel…and after curfew!"

"I've been out after curfew plenty of times," I said as I tapped his shoulder reassuringly. "No biggie."

Remus groaned.

"Stop worrying so much, mate," James said to him. "Alex is a big girl; she can take care of herself."

"Exactly!" I huffed. "I'm the oldest one here; I know what I'm doing."

"Which is exactly what's so very sexy about you," Sirius grinned. "You know what you're doing…in every aspect. Maybe you can teach me a few things on a bed."

James snickered and Remus rolled his eyes, sighing.

"Aw, you poor, inexperienced thing. Maybe Remus can show you a few pointers? He knows what he's doing in bed." Remus turned an outrageous shade of red as James whooped and Sirius smirked at me. "Now if you'll excuse me, I better go take a shower before they get taken."

And with that I walked away from them, smirking to myself.

"I'll show you someday!" Sirius shouted after me. "And you will be surprised!"

"When Hell freezes over!"

* * *

><p><em>So, I think I've cleared up that Alex had been scratched by Re-err, I mean the wolf creature-and not bitten. This will probably be the last time I update before school starts (next week). Now next year is my most important year of high school, so I don't know how often I'd be updating my story. I am also working on two other stories on fanfic, so that's why it always takes me a month or two to update. <em>

_Well, until next time, happy reading! :) _


	8. Chapter 8

"Get your hair outta my face!"

"You get your face out of my hair!"

"Ouch! Who stepped on me?"

"Get your elbow out of my—"

"Whose hand was that?"

"Maybe me, sorry mate—"

It was when somebody's hand brushed against my ass that I'd had it. With an angry growl, I tore away from the Invisibility Cloak and out into the open. I twirled around to face, what I thought, were the three boys. It was impossible to tell. That damned cloak worked really well.

"Sirius!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the hall. His face popped into mid-air, startling me. I gasped and jumped back. Jesus. That…that just looked so weird and messed up.

"Don't shout!" he growled lowly.

"Then don't touch my ass," I snapped back. His eyebrows furrowed.

"What are you talking about? I didn't touch your arse."

"Well, somebody did, and you're the only one perverted enough to do so!"

"Actually…" Remus threw off the cloak. His face was a deep scarlet. "That…that was me. I…I didn't realize that I…I'm really, really sorry! It was an accident!"

My face softened. "It's okay. You didn't mean it."

Sirius's floating face screwed up in annoyance. "Oh, so it's okay if Moony touches your arse, but if it's me, I get yelled at?"

"That's right," I smirked, folding my arms. "That's what he earns for supporting me all the time. Like, being there for me at Quidditch tryouts, for example."

"You're never gonna give it up, are you?"

"Nope." I loved to hold pointless grudges against friends. It was hilarious to see how irritated they got over something so stupid.

"Perhaps you can forgive me after tonight, love? I can make it up to you, in bed, of course."

I scowled and pulled the cloak over his head, making him disappear again. "That's better," I sighed. "Now, c'mon, I don't wanna be late to a duel."

"But people will be able to see you now!" James hissed. "Hurry up and get under the cloak!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Hell no. I'm not going under that thing again."

"So you'd rather get caught?"

I grinned, starting to walk again. "I don't get caught. You see, dude, I'm pretty experienced at the entire 'sneaking out after curfew' thing."

"So are we!" James huffed in his self-defense. "We've been doing it since first year!"

"And you've always been cowering under that cloak, yes? That means you're not as experienced as me. Though the cloak is pretty rad," I added.

"It's not cowering! It's called intuition!"

I rolled my eyes. "Intuition my ass."

"I would love to, dear."

"How about you go back to bed, little Sirius? The little boy can't handle his dose of midnight strolling, now, can you?"

"You take a left."

I scowled as the boys snickered. I took a few steps back and took a left.

"See? You need me here, love."

"The unfortunate truth."

"Excuse me, Miss, but it's passed your curfew!"

There was a ghost. I blinked up at the floating see-through…creature. Thing. Dead person. Whatever the hell. Now, I'd been to Mr. Binns' class a few times, but it still creeped the hell outta me how ghosts existed. It was just wrong. Just weird.

This ghost was a funny looking one, with a big round hat, a feather sticking out of it. He wore a ruffled collar and the typical Shakespearean outfit.

"Shakespeare?"

There was some sort of sound behind me—a snicker, maybe?—that was halted by a loud crunching noise. Shakespeare looked behind me curiously.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

He frowned and shook his head, returning his attention to me. "Never mind. What are you doing out here passed your curfew? You ought to be in bed!"

"We have a curfew? I'm still kinda new here, so I'm not that aware of the policies." It was mostly true. And I hadn't exactly denied not knowing about the curfew.

"Oh, yes, I know you," the ghost said cheerfully. "You're the new American Slytherin, Alex Piers! Yes, even we ghosts have heard about you," he added at the look on my face. "We've never had an American at Hogwarts before, so it's quite a big deal around these parts."

"I figured."

"Go back to your dorm and get to sleep, alright? Don't wanna get in trouble, do we?" There was some sort of amusement in his voice and face that hinted something. Something along the lines of 'yeah right I know you're always getting in trouble'.

"I don't wanna!" a high-pitched, annoyingly wannabe girl-ish voice came from my left. My eyes widened and I glared to the air next to me.

"Excuse me?" Shakespeare said.

"Err...I don't wanna get in trouble," I quickly said, looking back at him. He had an eyebrow raised.

"...All right," he said slowly. "Then you best to go to sleep." He was about to turn when the same, giggling voice said, "Were you born a ghost?"

I stomped on the floor and swung an arm around, coughing when Sirius yelped, "Ow!"

Shakespeare turned to face me fully again. Both eyebrows were raised and his eyes were looking at me up and down. "No...I became a ghost when I died."

"Yeah, I know," I said through gritted teeth, crunching somebody's foot. "Sorry for being so random." I chuckled wearily. "I guess I'm too tired."

He smiled, but still looked at me as if I was crazy. "Good night, then."

"'Night."

With one final look, he went through a wall. I immediately turned and growled at the invisible boys.

"What the hell was that?"

There was a burst of laughter. I scowled, pissed off further.

"I told you you'd get found," James said in a teasing voice. "That's what you get."

"Shut up," I growled to my right.

"We're on the other side." More snickers came from the boys.

I waved my arm around brashly, grinning when I heard an 'ow!' and felt something against my palm. Smirking in accomplishment, I swiped my hands.

"So, are we there yet?"

"We can still go back, you know." It was Remus. I'd rather listen to him than the other two idiots. "You don't have to do this."

I raised an eyebrow. "And look like a punk? No way, Jose."

"Who's Jose?" Sirius asked. I was positive that Peter would've asked that if he had been here with us. James snickered.

"It's probably just another one of those American phrases. Geez, where do you guys come up with this stuff?"

"And where do you guys find your orthodontists? You must be paying thousands for a dentist that does absolutely noth—oh, wait, you probably don't even go to an orthodontist. My bad."

Somebody let out a long whistle.

"Ouch."

I grinned at them.

Well, apparently I was grinning at thin air, because Remus emerged from the cloak to my left. I turned to face them as James and Sirius howled with laughter.

"Shut up," I growled.

"Nobody's here," Remus stated. I looked around to find myself in a hall covered with trophies.

"What time is it?" I asked.

He glanced at his wrist watch. "Five to ten."

I frowned. "We're early, then. I guess we should wait for ten minutes?"

The boys shrugged. There wasn't much else we could do anyways.

"Hey, so, what exactly are you guys doing again?" I asked them as I started to look at the trophies.

"We'll just be here for backup…in case things get out of control," James said.

"And knowing you, it's likely to happen," Sirius added.

I laughed. "Oh, really? I think I can handle a 'wizarding duel' on my own, honey. All you do is transform into animals and try to defeat the other."

There was a brief silence before the room filled with laughter. I frowned and twirled to face them.

"What?"

"What the bloody hell," Sirius gasped between laughs, "are you talking about?"

My frown deepened. "That's what a wizarding duel is!" I huffed. "I watched it in the 'Sword and the Stone'! When Merlin battled that old hag. They transformed into animals and tried to defeat each other…hmm, now that I think about it, Dumbledore sure reminds me of Merlin…" He really did. The blue robes, the long silver-white beard, the white hair. Maybe all old wizards were like that?

"Merlin didn't transform into animals!" James said. "Of course he battled using his wand, like any other wizard."

"No, he didn't," I argued. "I watched the movie, James! I know that they transformed into animals—and that old hag cheated, transforming into a purple dragon!"

They all stared at me as if I'd lost my mind. As if they didn't give me that look everyday.

"Are we referring to the same Merlin, Alex?" Remus offered. "We're talking about the one that helped King Arthur."

"Yeah, I'm talking about him!"

He frowned. "Unfortunately, we have no idea what you're talking about. Merlin is one of the most renowned wizards around the world. He made new discoveries that shaped our the world to the way it is today." He sounded more like Albert Einstein than that crazy, hilarious dude I remembered laughing at.

"He didn't battle animals," Sirius added with a snicker. James laughed.

I glared at the pair. "He battled _as_ an animal."

And this only prompted them to laugh even harder.

I sighed and turned back to the photos and trophies behind the glass. The three boys were still giggling about what I'd said and Remus was saying something like, "This is bad, I can't believe she doesn't even know what she's gotten herself into!"

I paused, taking a few steps back to take a better look at the moving photograph that'd caught my eye.

Wow. That boy on the photo holding a trophy was good-looking. Real good-looking. As in hot as hell. Those cheekbones, those eyes, that hair...damn. What was with it with all the British boys being hot?

The trophy in front of him read 'for Special Services to the School'. Hmm. I wondered what he'd done. Special services? A smirk played on my lips. Those lucky girls. I sure as hell wouldn't mind a guy like this providing me with a special service. Just look at that face…hot damn.

"What are you looking at?"

Apparently realizing that I had been drooling over the sexy black-haired boy's picture, Remus had come up beside me.

I shrugged casually. "Just at the trophies."

Remus raised an eyebrow at me. "You admire trophies?"

"I admire the boys holding them."

He chuckled and shook his head. I grinned.

"You should get a trophy," I said, gesturing to James and Sirius, "for holding up with them. I don't know how you do it."

He laughed. "I do deserve one, don't I?"

"You sure as hell do. I seriously don't get how you managed to—"

I stopped when I heard mutterings come our way. So Avery had finally showed up. With a grin, I brandished my wand, prepared to turn into a turtle. Just like Merlin. Seriously, though, now that I'd realized how much Dumbledore looked like Merlin, I wondered if Merlin was his great-great-great…wait. Judging from Dumbledore…Merlin was probably just his great-granddad. Only one 'great' involved.

"You ready, Piers?" James grinned, looking ecstatic. It was as if he expected me to lose so that he could go in and try to be a badass.

"Baby, I was born ready."

James and Sirius laughed as Remus grinned. I loved it when Remus grinned. It was just so boyish and cute.

Rolling up my sleeves, I made my way toward the muttering. "Come out come out wherever you are," I said in a singsong voice.

But the head that peered over the corner wasn't Avery's overlarge face. No.

It was the sneering face of Filch.

…

I turned on my heel and ran. Just ran. "Filch!" I hissed to the three confused boys, all of whom immediately fluttered underneath the shimmering Invisibility Cloak.

Remus grabbed my hand, pulling me under the Cloak. Dammit. Not this again. Especially since we were all in such a hurry, we were all fussing about each other, mouthing 'ow' and 'watch it!'

"Come back here!" Filch shouted. He ran around, stopped, and glanced around. "You can't hide forever!" he screeched.

There was a soft meow in front of us. The four of us simultaneously looked down. There was the damned cat, looking up at us, tilting its head.

I really wanted to kick that cat right now.

I felt somebody bump into my hip; next thing I knew, I had tumbled out of the Cloak and down onto the ground. I would've loved to shout at the three, but knew that would obviously give them away. Or Filch would just think I was psycho, just like Shakespeare had thought.

"You!"

And I ran. Shouts bellowed behind me, the clomping of feet echoed through the empty halls, but I still ran. No way would I get caught. There was no way in hell that I would allow McDonalds to contact my dad about this.

"Hurry, there's a broom closet to your left."

I couldn't help it; I screeched. "Dammit!" I growled to my right, where I assumed there were the boys. Remus suddenly emerged from thin air, followed by James and Sirius.

"What are you doing? He'll see you!"

"It's too hard for the three of us to run together under this!" Sirius said.

"So what? If Filch sees you—"

"I see you!"

Damn. "See what I mean?" I growled. Then, grabbing onto Sirius's arm, I knocked open the door to the supposed broom closet, pushing him in. "You too!" I said to the bewildered James. He quickly followed inside the closet. "And Remus!"

"I won't fit!" he cried.

"Then we'll improvise."

I took his hand and we took the closest left. I started the most immediate right, which seemed to confuse Remus, but he followed nonetheless. I took many sharp turns, going up a staircase as well.

"Why," Remus huffed, "are we zigzagging around so much? It's hard to keep up."

"It'll confuse Filch," I explained. "But I think we've done enough. C'mon, let's just go here," I said and attempted to open a room, only to find it locked.

"Allow me," Remus murmured, gently pushing me aside. He took out his wand and said, "Alohomora."

There was a click. He turned the door, and, voila! It was open. I whistled.

"Fancy," I said as I stepped inside the room. He followed closely.

"You didn't know that spell? It's pretty basic."

"No. I guess my dad didn't want me to learn how to unlock doors…as if I didn't already know."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Should I even ask?"

"I recommend you shouldn't."

He chuckled. "All right."

"Say…where are we?" I questioned, glancing around. It was one huge room with a single, body-length mirror plopped randomly aside.

"I don't know…" Remus murmured, his eyebrows furrowing. "I can't believe there's a room here that I don't know about."

"I guess you learn something new everyday, huh?"

I walked toward the mirror curiously. On the frame, in fancy letters, it wrote: _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_.

Was that Latin? Pig Latin, perhaps?

"What does that say?" Remus asked.

"I dunno…do British people know Latin?"

He laughed. "No, the majority of us don't, at least."

"Hmm…this is kinda weird. I mean, what the hell is this random mirror doing here?"

I stepped right up to it. I saw my reflection. That was that.

Then my parents were behind me.

"What the hell?" I shouted, glancing over my shoulder. My parents weren't there. It was only a confused Remus. Ignoring his question, I glanced back at the mirror. There were my parents again. "Oh my God…"

"Alex? Are you okay?" Remus was right beside me now, looking worried.

"My…my parents," I murmured dumbfounded. Slowly, I reached out and touched the dirtied glass.

They smiled at me. A rare thing that was. And, to make it even weirder, they had their arms around each other. My mom looked years younger, her short brown hair shaking as her mouth opened in a laugh. My dad was chuckling soundlessly too. He also looked younger, his blond hair not balding. Then there was my grinning brother, who put a hand on my head. Instinctively I brushed the hand off my head, only to find air. There was no hand.

"I think I'm losing my mind," I breathed.

The hand on my shoulder made me jump. I turned to see that it wasn't my dad's hand, but Remus's. Every inch of his face showed concern.

"You're worrying me, Alex."

"I'm worrying myself too." I paused, looking back to the mirror, where my family was. My mom and dad weren't trying to rip off each others' faces. My brother wasn't siding with my dad, he wasn't scolding me. No, we were one happily family. Something I'd never seen before. It was weird, but somehow…comforting at the same time. "Don't you see that?"

Remus stepped beside me and I moved out of the way so that he could view himself fully. I glanced around. My parents and Luke were gone.

"See what…?" He trailed off, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as he looked into the mirror. He backed away slightly, glancing at something above his head, and turned back to the mirror. "What in Merlin's beard…?"

I was too shocked to make a joke that Merlin probably had bugs in his beard. "Do you see them too?"

"…Them? No, Alex, I don't see anybody."

I frowned and stepped to look into the mirror. My parents had arisen again. This was officially creeping me out.

"My parents," I said and pointed to them. "You don't see them?"

"No."

I frowned. "Then what do you see?"

"What's wrong with this mirror?" was what Remus said. Apparently he hadn't heard my question.

"I dunno, but it's creeping me the hell out." I stepped away from it. "Let's get outta here. I bet Filch is gone by now. Probably fainted from too much running."

"Wait," Remus said as I made a move to leave. He pulled out the same piece of parchment Sirius had looked out when we'd run away from Filch. He looked at it, his finger tracing something, and nodded.

"What is that?" I asked as he stuffed it back in his robes. "Sirius had the same thing too."

"It's just a map of the school," he answered as he made his way to the door.

"Shouldn't you know the outline of the school by now?"

He chuckled. "Well, it's a special kind of map. It shows me where everybody is, so I can easily find Sirius and James when I need to."

"Magic?"

He smiled. "Magic."

I sighed as I pulled open the door. "Of course."

"What else did you expect? We are, after all, enrolled in a wizarding school."

"I didn't come here voluntarily," I grumbled as we walked down the hall. He chuckled.

"I did. I was so excited when I received that letter from Hogwarts." He smiled reminiscently.

"I broke the closet."

He burst out laughing. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. Not on purpose, though. I just sent a blow to the closet, and it just collapsed! The thing was old anyways."

"Oh, okay," Remus said, sounding unconvinced, a playful smile emerging on his lips. I scowled.

"It was!" I huffed. "My house is, like, from the '40's! It was about time something broke."

"And you've never broken something before?"

"Does it matter?"

"It was only a question," he said, putting his hands up in peace. He still had that smile on his face, though.

"Then I have a question for you."

"Yes?"

"What's your favorite color?"

He laughed for a while. "What? Why?"

"It was only a question."

He stopped laughing, offering me a grin. "Fine, then. My favorite's color is green."

"Typical," I said nonchalantly. He pursed his lips.

"Then what's your favorite color?"

"Blue."

"Typical."

I giggled and shoved him. "Cut it out!"

"You said it first!"

"Copycat!"

"I'm not a cat."

I giggled some more. "What, are you _purr_fect? Think you're too good to be a cat?"

"What the—?" He laughed.

"Can you roll your tongue?" I asked, rolling my own, making a long 'rrrrr'. I was officially starting to sound drunk. Perhaps it had something to do with the running, or the fact that I was still freaked out about my 'big happy family'?

"No, but I can tie a cherry into a knot."

"I thought that was only a myth."

"No, it's true. I'll show you sometime."

"So you got skills with your tongue, huh? Bet girls fawn over you like crazy." I winked. "Show me your skills sometime, will yah?"

…Did I really just that?

I guess I did because his face turned pink. He knew exactly what I meant. "N-no!" he stammered. "I don't have girls fawning over me at all." Ah, good boy, avoiding the part where I'd just flirted with him. Thank goodness.

"Aw, sure you do. You just don't realize it."

He shook his head. "Really. Girls don't pay any attention to me. It's James and Sirius they care about."

Something about that made me feel kinda bad for him. After all, James and Sirius were an attention-seeking duo.

"Yeah, they do. You're just unaware 'cause you're too busy trying to shut up those two." He smiled slightly. "I mean, c'mon! You're cute and nice. And you have a talent with your tongue…What's there _not _to like?"

His face turned even pinker. "Alex!" he exclaimed, seeming too much at a loss of words to say anything else.

I grinned. "Yes?"

He didn't say anything, looking away. He tripped over his robes and I caught his wrist, laughing.

"Aw, you're clumsy when you're embarrassed!"

And that only embarrassed him further. Mumbling a quiet thank you, he started to walk off again. At a rather quick pace.

"Slow down!" I said as I caught up with him. His face was a bright red.

"You should go back to your Common Room and go to sleep," he mumbled, not facing me. "The longer you're out, the easier it'll be to get caught. I'll find Sirius and James, so—"

"Hey, I don't want you to feel all uncomfortable around me now, even though it's kinda funny and cute, so just—"

I cut myself short when he nearly tripped over a stair step. Instinctively I caught him, only to be tugged down myself. Swearing and tripping down a few steps, we finally managed to catch ourselves by grasping the railing.

"Whew, that was close!"

I had spoken too early. The staircase moved (these damn things actually _moved_ periodically) and we went tumbling down to the bottom.

I groaned as my head hit the floor. Ow. With a wince, I pushed myself up by my elbows, opening my eyes. I would've jumped back at the close proximity Remus was to me, but that was physically impossible.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking concerned.

"Never been better," I grumbled. "I just love these moving staircases."

He smiled slightly, paused for a moment, face suddenly turning red. He quickly got up and offered a hand out to me. Smiling, I took his hand and let him pull me up. I thought I felt his fingers curl around mine before letting go of my hand.

"What about you? You okay?"

"I'm fine," he said. "You were the one that got your head knocked onto the floor. Sorry I couldn't catch you in time."

"It's not your fault. It's the damned staircases' fault. Doesn't Dumbledore realize that a student could fall and die or something? Yeesh."

Remus chuckled quietly. He seemed to be unable to look me in the eye. He focused on his shoes instead.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked, this time more concerned, taking a step closer to him. I reached a hand out toward him. "Maybe you actually did bump your head and refuse to admit it, or don't even realize it."

"I'm fine," he said immediately. "Really, I am."

I frowned. "Are you just saying that to shut me up, or are you actually okay?" My hand brushed against his soft hair and I turned his head to the left, examining it for any bumps.

"I think I ought to be checking you, not the other way around," Remus said. This time he smiled a little. I laughed.

"Yeah, I guess so." I playfully poked his cheek. "Well, you look fine to me."

"I told you."

"I don't need that attitude, mister."

"I don't think you should be talking."

I smirked. "S'ppose not."

We stared at each other for a brief moment.

"I better get going," he said, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I need to find Sirius and James."

"I'll go with you!"

"That's not necessary, Alex. I think you really should go back to your dorm before you get spotted again."

I pursed my lips. "But…! You guys stayed with me, so I ought to stay with you guys!"

He shook his head. "You don't need to do that. You've already done enough for us."

"More like you guys have done enough for me."

He smiled slightly. "You're so stubborn."

"So I've heard."

"Really, though, you need to get back to your Common Room. It's the best for all of us. I don't want you to get in trouble, Alex." He hesitated. "I don't…we don't want you to have to leave Hogwarts."

I thought about it for a moment. He did have a point. Too many offenses, and I would be sent home…but that was what I wanted. Sure, I made a few friends, but I still preferred my home, my old friends, my sweet America.

I was about to say this, to say that I ought to get in more trouble, when I stared into his eyes. They were so beautiful. Err…handsome, maybe? But they were eyes. But a guy's eyes. So were they handsome or beautiful?

Uh. Whatever. Either way, his eyes were off the hook. They seemed to persuade me, beg me to stay.

…Well, if I was sent home, my mom wouldn't mind, but my dad would drag his ass from Michigan to New York and send me off to military school.

"Fine," I sighed at last. "I'll go to sleep."

He grinned widely, seeming to be very pleased. "See you tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah, whatever."

"Catch you on the flip side?" he offered. I raised an eyebrow but couldn't help the smile.

"Guess so."

He started to walk off, stopped, and stole a glance back at me. I waved. He waved back before turning his head and continuing his journey toward his friends.

I sighed and started to make my way toward the dungeons. I was tired. Again. All this walking and running tired me out. And Avery didn't even—

Avery didn't even show up. Ooh, he was going to get it.

I yawned. In the mean time, though, I was going to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>This chapter was based off Malfoy and Harry's duel from first year. When Malfoy ditched Harry and tried to get him and Ron in trouble? Yeah. <em>

_The Mirror of Desire was probably the most interesting/serious part to write. Alex sees her family, and Remus...well, you'll have to figure out what he saw on your own.  
>Both of them are finally starting to get their game on, though, huh? ;)<br>_


	9. Chapter 9

I adjusted the swinging book-bag on my shoulder as I walked down the stairs. I'd just finished Quidditch practice (who practices in the _morning_?) and was making my way to class. My legs were sore from the cruel jogging we were forced to do. Why the hell did we have to _jog_ when the entire game is in the air? I didn't get it. And I expressed that concern to Lucinda, but she just bitched back at me, threatening to make Avery take my place in the team.

That sure got me running.

I blinked as a head of red dashed passed me. "What's the hurry?" I called out after her. She stopped running and turned to face me with a bewildered expression, as if she hadn't noticed that she'd just run passed me.

"I'm late, obviously!" Lily cried, looking ready to have a heart attack. Oh Lordy. Another goodie too-shoes.

"So?"

"So I'll be marked down!"

"Who cares?"

She scowled. "I do! And you should, too!"

"Your grades don't affect me."

"You know what I mean."

I sighed. "Well, I don't care. Besides, I'm only going to Slughorn's. He won't care at all."

"Well I have McGonagall, so I have to get going!" She started to run off again.

Unable to control myself, I shouted after her, "Were you up too late last night with James?"

That stopped her. She twirled to face me with an eyebrow arched so high it disappeared under the sea of red hair. "Excuse me?"

I couldn't help a smirk. "Is that why you're late? You didn't get enough sleep last night 'cause you were busy…foolin' around?"

She scrunched her nose. "No. I was up studying for my test, of course. What kind of sick mind do you have?"

I laughed. "You don't even know the half of it."

She rolled her eyes. "No wonder you're friends with James."

"Hey! He's a good guy," I said in his defense, though I couldn't help another laugh.

"Oh, yes, of course, because arrogant toe rags are just great guys!"

"A toe rag?" I laughed. "What the hell?"

"What?"

I shook my head, chuckling. "That's the most random adjective to describe a jackass as."

"So you're agreeing with me that he's an arse?"

"I didn't say that." I paused. "Okay, yeah, he can be a jackass at times."

She laughed. "And so the truth comes out."

"He's not all too bad, though. Just a little crazy about you. And Quidditch."

She raised an eyebrow. "Does James talk about me?" She sounded interested, even though she attempted not to.

"All the time. It gets kinda annoying, to be honest."

She was quiet for a moment. Then, with a face of disgust (it seemed a little forced), she said, "That's obnoxious. He's asked me out so many times before, did you know?"

I had to admit this was a surprise. "No. He never mentioned that. And you rejected him each time?"

"Of course," she huffed. "Why would I go on a date with _James Potter_? I'd rather go on a date with Avery!"

I raised an eyebrow at her. She held her head up stubbornly.

"I don't think that's true."

"But it very well is."

"Then you want me to hook you up with Avery? I can probably pull a few—okay, many—strings and get you guys together."

She looked ready to throw up. "No!"

I grinned. "That's what I thought."

She hesitated, pursing her lips, not wanting to admit defeat. "Fine. So Potter's not as bad as Avery. Does that really even say anything?"

"It's saying that he's not as much as an 'arrogant toe rag' as others."

That got her quiet for a few moments. Then she sighed. "I can't believe we're even talking about this right now."

"You brought it up."

"No, you did!"

"Now who's acting immature?"

Her mouth hung open, at a loss of words. I grinned widely. With a little huff, she folded her arms across her chest and pouted.

The bell rang. Lily jumped up as if caught on fire, and looked about wildly.

"I'm late!" she cried.

"I guess that's what happens when you get caught up in talking about boys. And you wonder why I don't have a boyfriend."

She tilted her head curiously, then a mischievous—yes, mischievous—smirk crossed her face. "Next time we see each other, it's your turn to spill the beans." And she started to walk off toward class.

I made a face. "But I hate beans!"

Her response was a melodic laugh. I raised an eyebrow after her but turned and headed toward class too.

For once, I made it to class unscathed. When I walked into class Slughorn admonished me for my tardiness, and then admonished the boys for cheering for me. I made my way to our table, throwing my bag down on the floor. Potions was the only class I had with the four of them. It was because they were all taking Newton classes or whatever. Something to do with Physics, maybe?

"So," I said as I looked at the four of them, "what are we doing today?"

Remus pointed at the board. "We're making Babbling Beverage."

I raised an eyebrow and turned to the board. "What kind of potion is that?"

"It makes the drinker babble nonsense."

"We already have enough of that daily," I grinned at Sirius and James. Remus laughed and Peter snickered. The other two glared at me.

"Should you really be talking?" James retorted.

"Yes, I should, because I don't babble nonstop about a particular redhead."

"I can't help it! It's her fault for being so pretty. That reminds me, the other day I ran into Lily and—"

"And she punched me in the face because I'm such an annoying Gryffindor," Avery crooned as he passed us, holding an empty beaker. Mulciber, following him, snickered.

My blood boiled. Avery. I still had a lot to talk to him about the other night.

Remus noticed my temper rise. "Alex," he murmured warningly. I ignored him and made a move toward the two jackasses when Remus put a hand on my shoulder. It was a gentle yet very firm grip.

I glared at him. "What are you doing?"

"Stopping you from getting in trouble. Again."

"But you know what he did the other night!" I hissed vehemently, hands curling up into fists. My anger seemed to spur on James and Sirius too, for they glared at Avery and Mulciber, putting their beakers down on the table. Peter looked anxious, as usual.

"Yes, I do know," Remus replied calmly. "And I'm not going to make a big deal about it."

"Why not? He made fools out of all of us!"

"So what? I don't care what Avery, or any other person, for that matter, thinks of me."

This surprised me. I actually relaxed slightly, eyes and mind focused on Remus now.

"Wow," Sirius said, sounding truly amazed. "Did you hypnotize her, Moony?" I snapped my head toward him, glaring. "Apparently not."

James laughed and I rolled my eyes, though I couldn't help a smile. We'd all finally relaxed and had only started to tease one another when Avery passed us and whispered, "We were waiting for you guys last night. Where were you?" He laughed his annoyingly high-pitched laugh as he walked off.

Damn it. That did it.

Stripping away from the group and ignoring Remus's shout, I marched up to Avery's table, where he, Mulciber, and Rosier were. I wanted to simultaneously punch them all. If only I had another hand.

"Can I help you?" Avery asked innocently, smiling a sickly sweet smile. It made his face even uglier. I never knew that was possible.

"Yeah, you can. How about you go jump off a cliff, and you," I pointed at Mulciber, "go jogging, and you," I pointed at Rosier, "eat a hamburger. Oh and how about you all shut the hell up and admit your bullshit before I lose my anger and smack you all upside your head and have each of you down on the floor?"

"Ooh, I'm so scared," Avery cooed mockingly. "The little American's going to hurt me!"

"I beat your ass up last time and I can do it again."

The smirk fell off his face, and his friends actually snickered. They obviously had his back.

"Yeah, so you better watch who you're talking to," Sirius said as he put an arm around me in a supposedly lazy manner that was obviously protective. James was on my other side, standing defiantly. Oh damn. Avery's buddies didn't have his back, but my boys had mine. How about them apples?

Avery's pale face darkened. "You better watch who _you're_ talking to Black, you dirty little blood traitor. Too bad you can't be more like your brother."

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "My brother is as idiotic and as arrogant and stupid as the rest of you bloody Slytherins. You all ought to rot in Hell."

Wait a second…I frowned. I was a Slytherin! I didn't point this out, though, because it would completely ruin the moment, and I didn't like any of the other Slytherins either. They were all such assholes.

"If we're all so horrible, then why are you friends with her, hmm?" Avery gestured to me. Damn, he'd actually noticed!

Sirius seemed to have forgotten about the fact that I was a Slytherin. He looked down at me briefly, then back at Avery. Rosier was even working on his potion as if nothing was happening.

"She's the only exception."

Avery raised an eyebrow. "Well, I must say that she should've been a Gryffindor. I dunno what the hell the Sorting Hat was thinking, placing a filthy half-blood in our midst…it's an outrage. A disgrace to the Slytherin name."

"Yeah, well I'm not all too excited about it either," I growled. "It's not fun being trapped in a Common Room full of selfish bastards that have nothing better to do than pluck their nose hairs."

Mulciber put a hand to his nose. Avery rolled his eyes.

"And you think we enjoy having _you_ in our Common Room?"

"Nope."

"You guys actually agreed on something!" fat Mulciber said, impressed. He was right, too.

"And I think we all agree that that American girl is a whore." Avery smiled nastily at me. I tensed and leaned over the counter, opening my mouth to answer, when James hissed,

"Say that again, Avery, and I'll cut off your balls!"

"You can cut off his balls, James, because he doesn't have any," I piped. Sirius roared with laughter and James smirked. Avery's nostrils flared.

"Ooh, standing up for the half-blood, are you?" he said to James as if I hadn't said anything. "What about Evans, huh, Potter? I thought you were just crazy for her! Now you're chasing half-bloods. I guess that's one level up than that filthy Mudblood you've always—"

James never gave me that chance to punch Avery in the face or allow Sirius to even draw out his wand. With a quick flick of the wrist something—please don't tell me they were boogers—erupted out Avery's nose and started to attack him. I backed away, hand over my mouth in wonder at what the hell just happened, and heard Sirius's bark-like laughter. I didn't get a moment to recover over the bizarre spell because James sent another one at Avery. Angrily, Rosier sent one flying toward James. The Gryffindor looked sick for a moment, and then threw up all over the floor.

Oh. My. God.

Sirius must've hexed Rosier's ass while I stared at James vomiting slugs, which started to make me very nauseous and just downright disgusted. I've seen a lot of vomit in my day, but never have I seen anybody, and I mean _anybody_, vomit slugs.

Avery's head was now twice it's usual size. His head was swollen up like a balloon and his body was disproportionately small. He wriggled his little arms about, slapping Mulciber repeatedly.

For once, I wasn't in the middle of the action. I had no idea what to do. James was retching over the floor, Sirius was battling Rosier, and Avery and Mulciber were too busy shouting at each other to even notice me.

…

Where in the hell was Slughorn?

The thought only annoyed me for a second because the next I was down on the floor, unable to move. Ow. Damn, this was weird. I couldn't move a darn muscle, no matter who hard I tried! Ew! What the hell? I didn't like this!

Remus's worried and somewhat exasperated face came into my view. Within a few seconds I felt myself get unfrozen (how else could I describe it? That really was how it felt!) I flexed my fingers for good measure and, satisfied that I was mobile again, stood up.

"I was worried this would happen," Remus sighed. "Didn't I tell you to just ignore them?"

I wasn't in the mood to be lectured at (not that I ever was). "Thanks for being there and being such a great friend," I snapped at him. He looked affronted and taken aback.

"Excuse me? Didn't I just help you to get unparalyzed?"

"Yeah, but why the hell didn't you come and help us earlier, before James started to throw up freakin' slugs?"

"I didn't see you helping him either!"

"I don't know how to!"

"So? You still weren't trying to comfort him! I don't think that makes you much a great friend either!"

I felt my hand twitch. "The only reason I came over to yell at Avery was because he insulted James and Sirius, not because he insulted me! Doesn't _that_ mean something?"

"It means that you made a bad choice. You should've ignored him."

My jaw tightened. He was officially pissing me off. And apparently Remus was getting pissed off too. His eyebrows were furrowed and his jaw was tightened like mine. This was the first time I'd ever seen Remus even remotely angry.

"Don't go around telling me what choices I can and can't make. God, who are you? My mom?"

"Hey, if you want to get kicked out of this school, by all means, go ahead."

"Fine," I growled, "maybe I'll do just that!"

I twirled around and stomped off before he had a chance to respond. While I'd been arguing, it seemed like things had gotten much more out of control. The ceiling had splattered goo over it, Mulciber was shrieking and was growing boils on his face, and Sirius was babbling nonstop as Rosier laughed at him. James was still gagging slugs, and I saw Remus run over to him.

Annoyed, I turned my attention to Avery, whose head had shrunken back down to normal size. Damn. It'd only just gotten big enough to reveal his true arrogance.

He caught me glaring at me. He glared back at me and raised his wand, opening his mouth to form a spell—

"Expelliarmus!"

His wand went flying out of his hand and clattered to the floor. I looked over to see that the spell came from Remus's wand. He glanced at me briefly and I looked away, irritated. What, did he think we were even now?

Without another thought, I dashed toward Avery's fallen wand and grabbed it before he did. He'd just gotten to the spot he'd dropped it when he saw me take it. He immediately snapped his head toward me, eyes narrowed, scowling.

"Give me my wand back!"

"Why the hell would I do that?"

"So you'd avoid injury from me."

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "You can't do nothing without your little stick." I shook it at him mockingly, and pulled back when he tried to snatch it out of my hands.

"At least I can speak proper English!"

"At least I don't chicken out of a fight!"

His lip curled up into a hideous smirk. "Did you have a fun time with Filch? His detentions are the worst."

My eyes narrowed into slits. "_You._ You told him that I was going to be there, didn't I?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I might've let it slip out. Said that you were planning to explode the entire Trophy Room…and he actually believed me! Hah!"

"You're disgusting," I spat. "You're just a filthy, lowlife coward. Little piece of shit."

The smile fell off his face. "Don't call me a lowlife, half-blood! I come from one of the richest, one of the most prestige wizarding families around!"

"Really? Then your family hasn't done a good job raising their son, now, have they?"

With an angry growl, he tackled me to the ground. I punched him in the head, ripping at his hair. He howled in pain and got up on his knees, punching me right in the face. My cheek stung and I struggled angrily, raising an arm to punch him back, but he grabbed both of my wrists and held them down to the ground. His wand fell out my hand and to the floor, but he didn't even bother with it.

"You think you can show up in my school and insult _me_?" he hissed, ignoring my struggles, somehow holding me down. He wasn't this strong last time I fought him! Nor was he this angry. That might've had something to do with it. "This is my place, American, not yours. And when you go around picking fights with me, you have to realize that you're messing with the wrong person."

"Yeah?" I hissed back, raising my head up toward his, "Well I'm part of the school now, and I can tell you this: this place ain't yours anymore."

His face contorted and he raised a hand, palm toward me, ready to take a hard slap—

A hand grasped onto his wrist. Avery turned to face his attack, only to be punched right in the face. He fell to the floor, hands over his face, blood leaking out in between the gaps of his fingers.

Remus looked down at me. His outraged expression softened and he offered a hand out to me. Blinking and unable to register what just happened, I took his hand and let him pull me up.

"Are you okay?" he asked, gently brushing a hand against my bruised cheek. I winced.

"Bloody hell, Moony!" Sirius shouted, dodging a spell. "Did you really just knock him out?"

He smiled wearily. "I don't think I necessarily knocked him out."

And he sure wasn't wrong about that. Avery scrambled to his feet and pointed angrily at Remus. His face was beyond rage. Blood dribbled down his swelling mouth and onto the floor.

"You…you…you-!" was all he could say. "How dare you disrespect me!"

"How dare you hit a girl!" Remus growled. His voice had deepened and rumbled, much to my surprise. And it was...kinda sexy.

"That's what she gets for being a filthy, disrespectful bitch."

Did he just—aw hell no. I made a move toward him, but Remus extended his arm, stopping me. Of course I could've leaped passed him, but Remus's furious expression told me otherwise.

"What did you just call her?"

Avery's swollen lips curled up into a smirk. "A filthy, disrespectful bitch."

Remus raised a fist. What surprised all of us most was what happened next.

I grabbed onto his arm. "Stop, Remus. He's not worth it."

He and Avery stared at me as if I'd lost my mind.

"But…Alex! I can't just let him get away with calling you such a word!"

I never thought I'd stop anybody from getting in a fight; usually I'd join them. It felt weird to be on the other side. "So what? His words don't affect me. He's not even worth your time, babe."

I honestly didn't know why the hell I was doing this. I guess that I didn't want Remus to get hurt, even though I knew that he'd whoop Avery's ass. Still, it made me uncomfortable to think that he could get injured in the process. Was this how Remus felt when I went against his wish and caused this entire mess?

"Scared I'm going to beat your boyfriend up, huh?" Avery sneered, returning to his usual self after his shock. "'Cause you very well know I would."

"Oh, shut the f—"

"Sorry it took me so long, class, I—Merlin's beard!"

We all swiveled to see Slughorn, his mouth wide open. He dropped his parchment and clenched at his chest as if he was going to have a heart attack. I couldn't blame him.

"What happened in here?"

"It's all her fault, sir," Avery said immediately, pointing at me. I glared at him with all the hatred I could muster.

"Is that true, Miss. Piers?"

I looked back at the wide-eyed Slughorn. "He provoked me."

"That gives you no right to do all of this!" He sighed and put a hand to his forehead. "What are we to do…"

"It's not her fault, Professor, it's mine!" James cried out, wobbling his way toward me, sickly pale.

"It's not his fault! It was Avery's for saying that word!" Sirius shouted, joining our little line of friends. That reminded me…where the hell was Peter in all this? I glanced around and saw him cowering under a table.

"What?" Avery shouted, outraged. "It was that American's fault! She came over to me and—"

"If it's anybody's fault, it's mine," Remus started. "If I hadn't stopped her before she—"

"You have nothing to do with this! I'm telling you, Mr. Slughorn, it was Avery that provoked me, so I went over to him to give him a piece of my mind—"

"More like a piece of your fist—"

"That doesn't even make any sense—"

"How about you just shut that yap of yours for once—"

"That's enough!" Slughorn shouted, silencing us all. He was breathing heavily and looked ready to faint. "This has all gotten much too out of hand. I thought that you and Mr. Avery would work out your problems, considering the time you've been here, Miss. Piers, but since that's not the case, I must take this issue to the Headmaster."

"W-wait! Why do we have to involve Professor Dumbledore?" Avery cried.

"Because this has gone on long enough, and I've had it up to here with you two. Come now, all of you."

"Wait, it was Rosier and Mulciber!" Avery cried, pointing at his supposed friends. "They—"

"That's enough, Mr. Avery," Slughorn said in the coldest and most teacher-like tone I've ever heard him use. "All of you will come with me." He paused. "Except those not involved," he added to the rest of the class hiding in the corner. "Just you lot. Yes, you too, Mr. Rosier."

I looked to my left and right at Sirius and Remus and James before grudgingly starting after Slughorn. Avery and Rosier and Mulciber were all hissing and arguing at each other behind us.

"Alex?" Remus murmured quietly to me. I turned to him.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I hope I didn't hurt your feelings."

"You didn't. I'm sorry for what I said too."

He gave me a little smile. "Are we okay?"

"Yeah, we're good. And you whooped Avery's ass for me, too...that's always a plus."

He chuckled tiredly. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"I never thought I'd see the day Remus Lupin take a punch."

"And you'll probably never see it again."

I frowned. "Aw, but I want to!"

"Too bad. It happens once in a millennium."

"I'm gonna get you for this, Piers," Avery hissed at me from behind before I could respond to Remus. I flipped him the bird.

"You do and I'll—" started Sirius. James vomited a little slug as he walked.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair wearily. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p>Remus turned his head toward me as I got off Dumbledore's little escalator. The gargoyle behind me leaped back into place.<p>

"So?"

I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say. So I just stood there like an idiot.

"Alex? Is everything all right?" He walked up to me to peer worriedly into my face. I shook my head.

"No."

"What happened? What did Dumbledore say?"

Dumbledore had given us all a little talk, but he made me stay behind to have an even funner talk.

"I might leave Hogfarts."

"What?" he shouted. "Are you bloody kidding me? You're kidding, right? Please tell me you're just being sarcastic."

I shook my head again. "I'm completely serious." I paused. "Say, where is Sirius and James, anyways?"

"Sirius took James to the Hospital Wing," he answered dismissively. "Now, tell me what you mean by 'you might leave'."

I sighed. I really didn't want to talk about this right now. It was kinda a downer. Weird, too, to think that this news would upset me. "Let's take a seat," I grumbled, taking Remus's hand to drag him toward the bench-less wall. I slid down against it and stretched my legs out. He slid down beside me, looking worried.

"Well," I started, "Dumbledore started to lecture me at how many things I've done at this school and the bad influence and blah blah blah. The point is, even though he's been trying to keep me here for a while now, he's starting to reconsider his past decisions."

I was silent for a moment, allowing the information to sink in.

"So…you might or might not go home? He's still deciding?"

I nodded. "But I have this feeling that I'm going on the next plane outta here."

We were quiet for a long time. I didn't really know how I felt on this subject at this point. I mean, I'd always been so excited to get kicked out of here and go home. I wanted to. I'd tried to run away, after all! Now, though, I had friends, and I actually enjoyed my time here, despite all the jerks. Hogfarts wasn't all too bad disregarding all those fights and drama between my gang and Avery's. It was actually pretty fun.

But I had fun back home too. I missed my friends, the entire lot of them. I missed those days of banging my head to the music, of singing Boston and Aerosmith out the window of Dave's car, of going out to smoke a joint, of—

"Do you want to leave?"

Something in Remus's voice caught my attention. His tone was conflicting, as if he was trying to sound neutral but couldn't help that desperate sadness.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I have fun here, with you guys, and all those pranks and random shit we've done…but I do miss my friends back home." I was quiet for a moment. "But I don't know what my dad would do if I went back home. He'd be really pissed, that's for sure. Then again..." I paused thoughtfully. "He might not even know if my mom doesn't tell him. And...actually, she might not tell him." So it wouldn't hurt at all to go back home.

"I don't want you to go," he murmured. I looked at him. He was biting his lip and his eyebrows were crinkled sadly. I lied; it would hurt to go home.

"Aw, cheer up," I said, messing up his hair. "You've survived without me for the past sixteen years, haven't you?"

He cracked a little smile. "I guess so…but things won't be the same without you."

"That's true. There won't be nearly as many fights without me."

He laughed. "I can't really argue much with that."

I grinned and yawned. I saw the sun set out of the window, and it shined brightly against us, casting red light against our faces and the wall.

I wiggled my body around and lied down, placing my head against Remus's lap. This made him jump slightly, and I laughed.

"Do you mind? Even if you do, I ain't getting up."

He chuckled. "I can honestly say that I'd never thought I'd have a girl on my lap."

"You'd envisioned yourself doing something else with a girl?"

I could tell with that pause that he was blushing. "N-no!" he stammered. Aha. I knew it.

"Don't lie to me, Remus Lupin. Every guy has fantasies. Don't be embarrassed to admit it."

He grumbled something underneath his breath.

"Whatdya say?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, so you have dreams about Sirius instead? I see how it is."

"Wha—no! No, I don't!"

"Then what do you dream about, huh? Girls or guys? It's a simple question, buddy."

"I can't believe we're actually talking about this right now."

I laughed. "I thought you would've gotten used to this by now."

"I'm still trying to adjust."

"Haven't you spent enough time around Sirius and James?"

"Good point."

I didn't say anything else, absentmindedly drawing little swirls on his hand with my fingertip.

"Remus?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you like anybody?" I felt a mischievous smirk snake its way on my lips. This subject was always more of a girl-to-girl subject, but considering the lack of girlfriends I had, I had adjusted to asking my guy friends this. And it was pretty damn amusing to see their reactions.

"Wha-what kind of question is that?"

"I'll take that as a yes."

"But—wait—that's not—urgh!"

I laughed. I would've lifted my head to see his expression, but it was too cozy in his lap to do so.

"So, what's her name?" He didn't say anything. "C'mon, dude! Fess up! Who's the hottie?"

"Alex."

I popped my head off and twirled around so fast that my hair whipped against his face. He looked bewildered at first.. then seemed to realize what he said, and turned a bright red.

"That's not what I meant!" he said frantically. "I meant 'Alex' as in telling you to stop!"

"Oh." He did say it firmly, after all. "Geez, were you trying to give me a heart attack or something?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"You should be sorry for bringing my hopes up!" I joked, tapping him on the nose. I snuggled back into his lap, despite his laugh and protests. "Aw, shut up!"

"Hey, I should be the one telling you to shut up and get off my lap! This is sexual harassment!"

"Sexual harassment my ass!"

"Well, yes, it would be especially considered sexual harassment if your arse was involved…"

I laughed, playfully slapping him. "That's sexual harassment right there, buddy boy."

"If that's considered sexual harassment, then I think you should be in jail for the next five years."

I giggled. "I'm not even going to argue with that."

He laughed. "It's not everyday I beat you, is it?"

"Consider yourself lucky. It'll probably never happen again."

"We'll see about that, won't we?"

"Was that a challenge?" I got off his lap to look into those pretty liquid eyes of his.

"Scared to take it?"

"Honey, I'm from Brooklyn; there ain't no challenge I can't take."

He grinned widely. "You just dug yourself into a very deep hole, love."

"Guess I'll just have to step on your head to jump outta there."

He laughed. I grinned, and then realized that he just called me 'love'. He must've noticed the expression on my face because he said, "What?"

"You just called me love."

He paused. "Yeah, s'ppose I did." He paused again, this time fidgeting. "Did it bother you?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "No, not really. It's better than when Sirius says it. God, it annoys me when he does it."

He laughed. "What's the difference between us? It's the same word."

"It's cuter when you say it. And Sirius is a man whore, so there's a big difference."

"Yeah? I'd rather have you ask me about my 'tongue expertise' than have Marlene ask me."

Were we seriously arguing over who could flirt better? "Marlene's asked you that?" I asked incredulously, scrunching my nose.

"There was this one time when we'd had one too many drinks and I showed Padfoot and Prongs that I'd tied a cherry with my tongue when Marlene asked me to show her sometime. I refused, of course."

"Does she just go after everybody? Whatta skank."

He didn't say anything, only offering me a little yawn. I looked out the window, and was surprised to see that the red light was no longer glowing. Instead, it was total darkness outside, and a few stars twinkled. I noticed the moon high up there, nearly full. It made me think back to that night two full moons ago. I shivered at the thought.

"Looks like it's going to be a full moon soon," I commented, and noticed Remus stiffen slightly. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just cold," he murmured. "You know, it's getting pretty late. Maybe we should head back to our—"

"I don't want to go back," I interrupted. He blinked at me. I scooted closer to him and rested my head against his shoulder. "Your shoulder's hard," I complained.

He laughed. "I'm assuming you preferred my lap?"

"Most definitely."

I didn't bother to move, though, because I liked the view up here more.

…Okay, so I just realized how close I had been to his package when I had been on his lap.

We were quiet now, looking out into that pretty black sky with the winking dots. I wanted to go outside, feel that cool air against my cheek, and lie out in that grass, staring up into the stars without a thought in mind.

But I was here, inside, my head against Remus's hard but somehow comforting shoulder, looking up at the stars through the window. He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close to him.

"I don't want you to be kicked out of Hogwarts," he whispered. I nuzzled against him reassuringly, enjoying the warmth of his breath on me.

"Don't worry. I'm not gonna leave you."

* * *

><p><em>Romance, romance, romance. Whew. Did I mention how much romance is in this chapter? And Remus actually punched somebody? *Gasp* And his little argument with Alex. Those are involved with his little issue with the nearing full moon. Yah know, when he gets a little angry? He sure wasn't angry when Alex was on his lap, though, was he? :P<br>_

_Here is a heads-up: I do not plan on updating as often as I used to. I seriously need to buckle down and start studying for those ever-so important tests. And writing my stories is taking away time from it. Typically I have a monthly cycle (hahaaaa) of updating in a little pattern: this story, another story, and another. But I plan for this to be my last update of my little circle-pattern-thing for a few months. Sorry. I hate it too when authors rarely update, but I HAVE TO STUDY. IT SUCKS.  
><em>

_Maybe 'till December. That's when I'm taking my huge test. So I guess that's not even really that bad. It sounds so far away from now, though...*sighs and dumps books onto table* So the square root of pie is...  
><em>

_Read, reread, and review. I think I'll make that my new catch phrase. Catchy, isn't it?  
><em>

_...Maybe I'll just stick with happy reading. Happy reading, everybody!  
><em>


	10. Intermission: Once Upon a Time

_Hi guys! It's been a year since I first created this story, so this is just a little extra chapter that I made. It's kinda a tradition I do. It's just for fun, nothing serious. Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>Something furry tickled my nose. I scrunched my nose and swatted my hands about, opening my eyes. A fat, ugly cat smirked at me—what was it with animals here and their facial expressions?—before it stomped off, shaking its little butt so that its bushy tail swayed pompously behind it.<p>

I furrowed my eyebrows, frowning. What was a cat doing in my room?

…

This wasn't my room.

…

Hell, I didn't think I was even in Hogfarts! But…but how was that possible? I swore I went to bed last night! My eyebrows knotted in thought. I had talked with Remus before we went our separate ways, and I had gone back to the Common Room. I knew I did! I was sure of it!

Could this…could this possibly be a prank? Were the boys just pulling my leg? I mean, it was possible, wasn't it? They were wizards, after all. Maybe they bewitched this entire place to look like a different castle! This wasn't even a castle, really…as far as I could tell, it was a mansion. Same difference, I supposed.

"You yanked my chain there for a second, but I caught on. Very funny, guys," I said to the air, glancing about. I stood up and put my hands on my hips. That was when I felt something sway around my knees. Raising an eyebrow, I looked down at myself.

I was wearing a skirt.

And an apron. As if I was a damned maid.

Ooh, those boys were going to get it.

"I believe this can be considered sexual harassment if you slipped this on me during the middle of the night," I growled. It was silent. I rolled my eyes, feeling the annoyance boil in me. How dare they dress me in such a ridiculous outfit and cower away from me? "Give it up before I start to get real mad." Again, no response.

Suddenly, I heard a noise from upstairs that sounded like a cat being strangled.

"Really?" I said with a raised eyebrow, glancing around as if the boys would pop out from somewhere. "Okay, cut it out. You're starting to piss me off." Annoyed, I started to tap my foot against the tiled floor. "You're going to be the next one making that noise if you don't quit it already."

The screeching continued, and I heard something else—a flute?—in the background. This was weird. Even Sirius and James would've come out by now, laughing like idiots. Then I started to feel worried. Was somebody getting murdered up there? Did Filch change the place up so that Dumbledore would never suspect the caretaker of torturing children? What if somebody was in trouble?

The thought triggered me to dash up the stairs, though I tripped twice on the damned skirt that I wore. Tumbling and swearing, I burst open the door that contained the source of the screeching.

For a moment, I could just stand there in shock. I didn't even bother to recoil.

Blondie, Avery, and McDonalds were all in the room. This wouldn't have been so shocking if Blondie wasn't wearing a huge pink dress and McDonalds was sitting at a piano. Hell, even _that_ wouldn't have been so shocking if Avery hadn't been there.

Avery was wearing a dress. And a green one at that. I supposed he still wanted to maintain his Slytherin pride, even when wearing a dress.

…

I burst out in a fit of laughter.

"What is going on here?" McDonalds snapped, and I heard a chair scoot back; she must've stood up. I didn't respond, too busy in my fit of giggles. "You come in during singing practice and you have the audacity to sit there laughing like an insolent child?"

"Singing?" I breathed between laughs. "I thought that somebody was dying!" I laughed even harder, feeling hot tears spring into my eyes.

"What do you mean?" Marlene asked hotly. "Why would it sound like somebody was dying?"

"Be…because…because your singing was more like screeching!"

"How dare you—!"

"Peace, Anastasia," McDonalds said calmly. "Let her laugh."

Anastasia? Immediately I stopped laughing, and reality dawned on me. McDonalds had just called Marlene Anastasia. Avery was wearing a dress. No matter how green it was, a dress was a dress.

What the hell was going on here?

"Now that you've had your fun, you can go outside and start cutting all of the hedges. They've gotten awfully long. And then go to town to pick up Drizella's new dress, Anastasia's new shoes, my new—"

"Whoa there," I interrupted, all the while thinking of how those names were familiar. "What makes you think that I'm going to do all that?"

She raised a thin eyebrow. "Oh? You'll not be attending the ball with us?"

"A ball?" I said incredulously. "What makes you think that I want to go to a _ball_?"

"I think she's lost it, Mother," sneered Marlene.

Did she just…did she just call McDonalds—hell, McGonagall—_Mother? _

…

Did I smoke a joint and forget about it? Maybe it was a British joint so it was a lot more powerful than what we had back home?

"I beg to disagree. If she doesn't wish to attend the ball with us, then she doesn't have to."

"She's still going into town to get my dress, though, right? I need that dress, Mother, to impress the Prince!" she persisted, stomping her foot angrily.

The cat. Anastasia. Drizella. The bitch McGonagall—in this case, the Stepmother. The Prince. The Prince. The Prince!

It suddenly dawned on me that I was in a fairytale. Literally.

"Oh my God," I muttered, putting a hand over my mouth, backing away in shock. The three of them stared at me curiously. But where...where was _she_? Where was the main lady of the tale? Why wasn't she getting yelled at, and not—

Wait a second.

Then, cockily, Avery chirped, "Yes, I know I'm beautiful. You don't have to react so strongly."

I would've bothered to laugh had I not been so caught up in my shock.

"Don't stand there like an idiot!" snapped Marlene impatiently. "Hurry up and get my dress! We haven't much time!"

"The dress? For the ball?" I asked dumbly.

"Yes, the dress!" she screeched, throwing her hands up. "How much stupider can you get?"

Despite everything, despite the fact that I was stuck in some fairyland somehow, my eyes narrowed at her insult. "Don't worry, you'll get your dress," I said coolly. "Not that it'll really make a difference."

"Because I'm already so beautiful that the dress won't make a difference?" she asked with a bat of her eyelashes.

"No." Her face fell. "Because, since he's a Prince, I'm pretty sure he has standards."

Her face turned red, and I wasn't sure if it was from anger or of embarrassment. Avery gasped, covering his mouth. McGonagall's eyebrows rose and her eyes widened.

"How dare you—!" Marlene shrieked, stomping toward me.

"You think you can come in here and insult my child like that?" snarled McGonagall, stepping toward me as well. "I take you in like my own child, I nourish you and feed you, yet you treat me with such disrespect? In my own home?"

I felt anger bubble inside of me. I never understood how Cinderella just took all this bullshit and did everything she was told to do without a single complaint.

"Listen here, lady," I snarled, marching right up to her. "You never treated me like your own child. You treated me like your damned slave. I did everything you told me to, yet you yell at me things that were never even my fault. And I'm sick of it! Sick of it, I tell yah!" Whew. I always wished that Cinderella would say something along those lines.

Her lips curled. "Then why don't you leave?"

"Maybe I will!" I snapped, turning on my heel.

"Be careful out there, Cinderella," she called out softly to me. "We don't want you ending up like your father and mother." I bet Avery and Marlene smirked at that.

I knew that she was referring to 'Cinderella's' dead parents, but my hands still rolled up into fists. "I'll never be like them," I hissed through clenched teeth. And then I dashed off.

* * *

><p>"Whatta bitch," I growled as I stalked through the grass, flinging my apron aside. "I mean, seriously, how did Cinderella always take that shit? Idiot girl was too busy singing about dreams..."<p>

With an angry huff, I folded my arms and sat on the grass.

I paused for a moment, glancing around. Wasn't this part where the fairy godmother was supposed to appear? She seemed to be a little late...

That was when something sparkling caught my eye. Turning, I gaped at the shimmering figure in the air as it descended down toward the ground. Was this the fairy godmother? My eyebrows furrowed. She looked much taller and slimmer than I expected. Wasn't she kinda plump in the movie?

"You can't go to the ball looking like that," said the fairy godmother, and I realized that she had a very masculine voice. For a brief moment, she looked like Jesus, as she descended down toward the ground, arms splayed out. Jesus did have a beard, after all, right? Except the fairy godmother's beard was long and silver-grey.

…Wait. Something about that wasn't right. Women didn't have beards. Especially not like those. And Cinderella's godmother did not have warm, crinkly blue eyes behind half-moon glasses.

…

This wasn't no fairy godmother. It was…

"_Dumbledore?_"

He chuckled as his feet touched the ground. "Yes, but let's keep that a secret." He winked. "Just refer to me as your fairy godfather."

I stared at him. Then, slowly, I said, "Fairy god_father_?"

He nodded vigorously, smiling. "Yes. I've come to take you to the ball."

I raised an eyebrow. "I don't wanna go to the ball."

He raised his white eyebrows. "Oh? What changed your mind?"

"I don't like balls."

"Have you ever been to one?"

"…Kinda."

"It's not as bad as you think it is," he smiled. "Besides, don't you want to meet the Prince?"

"Not really."

"C'mon, Cinderelle!" I heard a squeak from below me. "You need to go!"

I glanced down at the grass to see two mice. One was wearing a red shirt and hat, with black hair clinging to its furry face. The other was fat, its little yellow shirt riding up its belly.

"But what if I don't _want to_?"

The red mouse frowned. "You were so excited for it earlier!"

I sighed and was silent for a brief moment. Then, I shrugged. "Oh, what the hell. I'll go." It wasn't everyday you got to get stuck in a fairytale, after all. I might as well make the most of it.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore said, clasping his hands together. "You'll need a carriage, first. Now, where is that wand…?" He glanced about his large robes, and then pulled out his wand. Smiling, he pointed it at a pumpkin in the pumpkin patch, and it rolled its way toward us, growing and growing. Just like in the movie. And he was even singing the 'bibbidi-bobbidi-boo' song, even though he probably didn't need to. Well, it was Dumbledore, after all.

Despite the strangeness of the entire situation I was in, I felt a smile creep along my face. I felt like a little girl again. I had once wished that I too could be Cinderella and find my Prince Charming. Though, even then, I remembered my parents arguing in the background.

"Now we need something to pull the carriage," Dumbledore said, snapping me out of my thoughts. The pumpkin had transformed into a white carriage. The horse let out a proud little snort. "We can't just have one horse…we need mice!"

The little quirkiness of Dumbledore actually made sense with the fairy godmother. Well, actually, he most definitely reminded of Merlin more than anybody.

"Mice?" squeaked the fat one. I paused for a moment, my eyebrows furrowing slightly. He reminded me an awful lot of Peter…

"Yes, mice!" Dumbledore said, and pointed his wand at them. They all transformed into majestic stallions, except the one with the red jacket. He looked confused. "You, little fellow, will be the driver." And with that, he flicked his wand toward him. He transformed into a tall, medium-built, black-haired, and grey eyed…

"Sirius?" I said incredulously. Hell, at this point, I shouldn't have even been surprised. He turned to me, wearing a dashing black suit, and grinned. Damn, he looked good. Real good.

"Ready to get going?" he asked.

"Not yet," Dumbledore said. "We can't let her go in that, now, can we?" he said, gesturing to my skirt.

"No. Get me some pants and I'll be good."

He raised an eyebrow inquiringly. "I do believe that a dress will be most suitable for a ball."

"Oh hell no," I said, folding my arms across my chest. "I don't wanna wear a dress!"

"Why not?"

"I don't do dresses."

"I'd do you in a dress," Sirius mumbled. I gaped and punched him in the arm. He snickered. Wasn't the mouse (Jack, if I remembered correctly) supposed to be real nice and sweet? Sirius was just acting like…well, Sirius!

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Without proper attire, you won't be admitted to the ball."

"Fine, then, screw the freaking ball!"

"Oh, c'mon, don't be such a downer!" Sirius said. "Quit crying about it."

"I'm not cryin' about it!" I said hotly.

"I beg to differ."

I growled at him. Then, I turned to Dumbledore and said, "Fine, then. Just nothing too extravagant."

He smiled. "I knew you'd change your mind." Then he flicked his wrist, and thousands of little sparkles wove around me as my clothes transformed into a dress. Sirius let out a long whistle once the sparkles vanished, and I looked down at myself.

"Hey! I said nothing too extravagant!"

I was wearing the exact same dress that Cinderella had worn in the movie. I felt like a huge marshmallow, and probably looked like one too. I paused and raised my leg so that my foot peeked out from underneath the fluffy dress. Even the glass slippers were the same. And damn, were they uncomfortable.

"I don't consider it extravagant," Dumbledore smiled. His smile was almost mischievous, as if he knew it was overdone.

"Then you and I have very different definitions of extravagant."

"I suppose we do. Now, go on, before it gets late!" He ushered me toward the carriage. Sirius swung the door open for me, and I stepped in. "Oh! One thing!" Dumbledore said hurriedly, dashing over to the carriage. "You must be back by midnight. It is crucial that—"

"Yeah, yeah," I said dismissively. "I've heard it all."

"But, really, you must—"

Suddenly the carriage lurched forward, and I damn near well flung out of my seat. "Stupid driver," I grumbled as I settled back in my seat. Sirius laughed his bark-like laugh as we drove into the dark and toward the sparkling castle ahead.

* * *

><p>Great. Just great. I was lost. As usual. God, this was Hogfarts all over again! Stuck in a darn castle, not knowing where to go…<p>

Maybe I should just turn around and head back to the carriage. This was so stupid! Why the hell did I even do this? It wasn't like I was _actually_ going to meet the Prince and—

"Excuse me," a voice called out softly to me.

"What?" I huffed, annoyed in my state of confusion, and turned around. My mouth dropped and my eyes hurt from widening too much and too quickly.

Remus Lupin stood in front of me. He wore the traditional Prince attire, just like the one in the movie. I always thought it was a little too military-like, but I supposed it was better than the ones where the guys basically wore skirts. Nobody likes a man in skirts. But Remus, Remus made the military outfit look good. It suited him really well.

He smiled at me, lighting up his handsome face. He looked absolutely...enchanting.

"Hello," he said, and bowed.

"Hey," I said as he straightened up. He looked a little amused at my response, and I raised an eyebrow. "Something funny?"

"No, not at all!" He shook his head. "I just like…I appreciated the way you speak to me as if I am just a human being."

"Well, you are just a human being."

His smile widened. "May I have this dance?" he asked, offering me his gloved hand.

"There's not even any—"

A slow waltz had started in the background. I raised an eyebrow. Remus chuckled.

"Fine, then, I guess," I said, taking his hand a little unsurely. "I'm not much of a ballroom dancer, though…"

"That's quite alright," he said, his eyes twinkling. I smiled and let him lead me across the ballroom, which had dimmed. Murmurs went across the crowd as Remus placed his hand on my waist, the other still entwined with mine. I placed my hand on his shoulder. He took a step forward, and I hastily took a step back. I shuffled along like some sort of animal, as Remus smoothly and elegantly waltzed his way to happiness. I damn near tripped twice, but he played it off by bending me over. He grinned widely as he set me back on my feet.

"Thanks," I grumbled, embarrassed.

He chuckled. "It's not a problem." He glided his way across the ballroom, guiding me. I was utterly ungraceful, skidding my way across the floor and stomping around in the heels.

"Sire, this way!" a voice hissed from our left. We both turned to see a man waving toward us, beckoning us closer. My eyebrows furrowed slightly. That was…James!

"What do you want?" Remus asked, annoyed, as we danced our way toward James. I snickered at his beard and moustache.

"Just dance right on through here," he said, gesturing behind.

"Nice beard," I murmured to him as we waltzed our way through. He looked befuddled but closed the curtain on us nonetheless. "Okay, that's enough dancing," I said abruptly. Remus raised his eyebrows and stopped.

"If you wish."

"I do wish." I paused, seeing his fallen expression. "It's not that I don't like dancing with _you_—it's just that I can't ballroom dance in general. I look like a dancing gorilla compared to you."

He laughed. "No, you are not a dancing gorilla! You're very majestic."

I snorted. "Yeah, right."

"Yes, really, you are!" he insisted. "I enjoy dancing with you."

"Well, thanks, I guess. You're a really good dancer."

"Thank you. Dancing is my passion."

"I see that," I smiled as we started to walk along the brick road. "Ugh, my feet are killing me. Stupid shoes. Can you hold on for a sec?"

He stood waiting for me, and watched patiently as I tried to look through the ten layers of my dress to take off my shoes. After a moment of struggling, he asked,

"Do you need any help?"

"No, no, I got this." With another few struggles, I sighed in defeat. "Okay, so maybe I could use some help."

He chuckled and bent down on one knee. I lifted the dress for him so that he could see. After a moment, he got up and my feet could finally breathe. He handed them to me, looking amused.

"Here you are."

"Thanks." I took the shoes from him.

"I don't think I've ever had a woman ask me to take off her shoes. Strangely, some have asked me put _on_ their shoes...as if they couldn't do it themselves."

I snickered. "Maybe you have a way with feet?"

He laughed. "Perhaps. A bit of a strange thing to specialize in, no?"

"Yeah, kinda."

He laughed again. We walked in silence, walking on the bridge over the pond. I paused to glance over the railing down at the still river. I saw my reflection staring back at me. Ugh, I never liked putting my hair up in an up-do, and especially not one so high. Annoyed, I yanked off my hairband and let my hair flow back down. I shook my head, probably making it ten times messier. I let out a sigh of relief. Much better.

"Like my hair?" I asked, turning around. Remus smiled at me.

"Yes, I do. It's a bit...what's the word..." He walked in front of me, placing his hands on the railing, trapping me. "Sexy?"

I didn't know whether to blush or to laugh. "A bit more confident as a Prince, now, aren't you?"

"Hmm?" He looked confused.

"Never mind."

"You don't like confident men?" he questioned, cocking his head to the left.

"Not over-confident."

"How much is...the right amount?" He bent in closer toward me.

"Oh...you know...the right amount..." I mumbled as his face drew closer to mine. His liquid eyes were shining brightly, and his face slightly flushed.

He rested his forehead against mine, breathing soundly. "Is this enough?"

"Very close," I murmured, moving closer to him.

He smirked wickedly. God. Why couldn't he smirk like that all the time? It was so damn sexy.

He leaned in toward me, those shining eyes fluttering shut. I felt my own eyes close as his lips reached mine—

The clock struck midnight, and a huge ringing noise went off.

I awoke immediately, nearly springing out of bed. I sat there for a brief moment, glancing around. I was in my bed with the green and white drapes. There was still an obnoxious ringing noise from below me, and I looked down at my screaming alarm clock. Annoyed, I slammed on it, and it silenced. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair.

For a brief moment, I thought back to my dream. I felt my cheeks heat up. It...it didn't _mean_ anything, did it? It was just a dream. The other boys were there too, after all. Hell, now that I thought about it, wasn't Dumbledore in it too? So it couldn't _possibly_ mean anything. Remus had just been fit for the role, that was all. He was the only sensible boy I knew. He was sweet, and he was also really caring. Who could be better for the role of Prince Charming?

I sighed and burrowed my face in my hands. Great. It was going to be very difficult to look at Remus without thinking back to that dream now.

"Why couldn't I have been Alice in Wonderland instead?"

* * *

><p><em>"A dream is a wish your heart makes," as Cinderella sang in her movie. ;) I think Alex would beg to differ.<br>_

_Anyways, this was basically just a crack chapter. I still enjoyed writing it, though. It was fun. Especially writing Remus. And it was pretty easy to choose which Princess Alex would be. As a blonde, there were many choices available for her, but Cinderella just fit perfectly (even though she had the glass slippers taken off and not on.)  
><em>

_Also, I'd like to thank you all for your support. I love reading your reviews, and I love seeing the little '_ has favorited your story' alerts I get on my email. They just make me smile. So, thank you, thank you, thank you! _

_Happy holidays!  
><em>


	11. Chapter 11

"We're all gonna beat some Gryffindor arse today, you hear me?" Lucinda shouted confidently. My fellow teammates roared in agreement, some even lifting their fists in the air. I glanced around them all with a raised eyebrow. So pep talk even worked on Slytherins. Who woulda thought?

Nonetheless, I was pretty damn excited too. It was my first real Quidditch match, so I was excited to see how it would go. It would be a little weird to go against Gryffindor, but at the same time I wanted to beat them so I could always make fun of James for it. He would never be able to live it down.

"Slytherin pride!" Lucinda shouted, and we all roared on out with our broomsticks in our hands, our green cloaks billowing out behind us. We made it out onto the usually empty field, which was now completely filled with cheering students. Some of them booed as we entered, and I couldn't help but smirk slightly. Those people booing were Gryffindors no doubt. Maybe Sirius was even booing with them. Chuckling at the thought, I mounted my broom and zoomed up into the air.

The cold wind bit my cheeks and slapped my hair against my face. It felt almost refreshing to have a chill pass over me. I was pretty accustomed to the cold myself, considering the many feet of snow I got back home, but the others didn't seem to be quite as tolerant to it as I was. Crouch was shivering, and Gudgeon muttered something about getting warmer uniforms. I snorted. What wussies. It was December; what else did they expect?

"And here comes the Gryffindor Team!" shouted a voice that echoed throughout the stadium. Roars came from the left side of the stadium, and hisses from the right. When I looked to each side, I saw that the left consisted of students wearing red and gold scarves, and the ones to the right wore green and white ones. Ah. That made sense.

"Let's put them in their place!" Lucinda shouted at us as the Gryffindors began to fly into the air.

"In the gutters, then," laughed Gudgeon. They all snickered, but I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, Piers!" I turned to see James grinning at me. "I can't wait to see the look on your face when we win!"

I glowered. "And I can't wait to see the tears running down your face when _we_ win."

He laughed. "If you keep on telling yourself that you're going to win, you'll be even more disappointed when you don't." With an arrogant smirk, he zoomed off to chat to his teammates.

I glanced back at my own teammates. "Time to kick some ass."

Gudgeon laughed and smirked. Crouch tentatively chuckled, and Lucinda smirked slightly.

"This is going to be an interesting first game!" cried the commentator. "On the Slytherin team, we have the Captain and Keeper Lucinda Talkalot"—roars emitted from the right side of the stadium—"she may not talk a lot, but she sure is feisty when she does!" I snickered a little and Lucinda rolled her eyes. "We have our returning Chasers Rosier, Gudgeon, and…look who we have here! Instead of Beater, Wilkes has taken place as Chaser!" I smirked slightly, and glanced over at Wilkes. He glared at me through narrowed eyes. "Then we have our two new Beaters Piers and Crouch! Piers and Wilkes must've fought for that title; that's why she became Beater and not him." There were some laughs from the bleachers. "And finally, we have our Seeker Regulus Black!"

It was weird that I was teammates with Sirius's brother. Regulus was nothing like Sirius. He was a lot more serious (which didn't really make sense; shouldn't Sirius be more serious?) and couldn't really take any jokes. He wasn't as ass-holey as the others, but he was still one of those pureblood freaks. He was a damn good Seeker, though. The commentator continued to drone on about the Gryffindor players, until he finally finished with a roar of "Last but not least, we have Gryffindor Seeker and Captain, James Potter!"

Cheers and applause erupted through the stadium, followed by boos and hisses. James grinned and pumped his fists in the air.

"Madam Hooch has released the balls—and the game begins!"

What? Already? I looked down to have a Bludger whiz right passed my face. I blinked rapidly and shook my head in surprise. Lucinda shouted something at me that I couldn't hear from all the cheers. I looked up to see the Bludger headed right for my head.

Swiftly maneuvering my broom back, I drew my bat back and whacked the ball away. There was an angry yell to my left, and I turned to see Gudgeon shaking an angry fist at me.

"You're supposed to be aiming for the Gryffindors, you idiot!"

"And you're supposed to be taking the Quaffle!" I shot right back. He scowled at me but zoomed off nonetheless.

I too took off to save Rosier from a Bludger and swung it off toward one of James's teammates. The Gryffindor ducked, barely dodging it, and it continued on straight. I flew off, passing Gryffindors and Slytherins that shoved each other as each tried to take a grab at the Quaffle in the Gryffindor girl's hands.

"Fenwick takes a shot at the goal—oh, Talkalot blocks it! Whatta block! Ooh, watch out there Crouch, don't wanna lose balance and fall!"

"Piers!" I turned around. James was leisurely relaxing on his broom, and I bet if there was enough room, he would've been lying down on it. "Having fun?"

"Aren't you supposed to be doing something?"

"Gryffindor makes a goal—"

He shrugged. "I just look for the Snitch. And considering my skills…it won't take too long." I rolled my eyes. "You're doing well on that broom, you know. Must be because of my teaching."

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must—"

"Watch out!" James shouted, pointing at something behind me with wide eyes.

"It only works the first time," I grumbled, rolling my eyes at the memory. The last time we practiced together, James acted as if an out of control Bludger was heading toward me. Freaked out, I had fallen over and damn near cracked my head, only to find that there was nothing there. Sirius and he laughed for hours.

"No, Piers, really! There's a Bludger—"

I believed him when something hit me square in the back. Hard.

I fell forward, my breath was knocked out of my lungs, and I flung through the air. I extended my hands, groping through the air, just trying to grab something—

I came in contact with my broom. I hadn't fallen nearly as much as I thought; it was as if I'd done a backflip, and was now dangling from my broom. Pain throbbed against my back as I struggled to lift myself up. Vaguely, I heard the excited shouts of the crowd, and the commentator talking very rapidly.

"Are you alright?" James shouted, and his face came into my view.

"What do you think?" I shouted back at him. I immediately regretted sounding so pissed; James cocked an eyebrow and gave me a look.

"You put yourself in this situation," he huffed.

He was right. He had warned me, but I foolishly and stubbornly refused to believe me. He messed around with me so often that I thought he'd been pulling my leg again! Even then, though, it was still my fault. He warned me. Dammit.

"I'm sorry for not believing you, alright?" I said hotly. "Now can you help me get up?" He appeared to think it over, placing a finger to his chin. Damn him. He was doing that on purpose. "James!"

"Fine, fine," he said, putting both hands up and still somehow balancing on his broom. "You don't have to be so pushy." He flew behind me, and apparently had trouble deciding as to how he ought to pull me up. I felt his hands touch my waist for a split second before he changed his mind. Then he touched my shoulders. Then my head.

"Dammit, James, you sure as hell ain't pulling me up by my hair!"

"Then how _should _I pull you up?"

"By my ass for all I care! Just get me up!"

"Listen, Piers, you're a great girl and all but it's not gonna work out between us."

He laughed as I growled lowly. "Think it's funny, do yah?"

"Yup!" he answered happily.

"If you don't help me out I will cut off your—"

That was when I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist and carry me up onto my broom. I was deposited a little roughly on my broom, and I swayed a little, but managed to keep a grip on it. I sat properly and then looked over to my left. Regulus stared back at me, annoyance sketched across his haughty face.

"Do you have any idea how many Bludgers have been attacking us?"

"Well, considering that there's only two Bludgers...two?"

He rolled his eyes. James laughed. "She's right, you know."

"Just get back in the game," Regulus said.

"Couldn't you ask me a little bit nicer?"

James was silent, much to my surprise. He appeared to be staring at something. Regulus also noticed, and looked in the direction James was looking at.

James zoomed off first, then went Regulus, and so quick were they that my broom whirled around in a circle. Dizzy and disgruntled, I grumbled incoherently underneath my breath. What was wrong with those two? They went off as if they'd seen a pot of gold or something! Stupid Seekers.

I paused. Both of them were Seekers. Both of them had flew off at the sight of something.

It took a moment for me to fit the pieces together.

James had seen the Snitch.

"Piers!"

I turned to see a very irritated looking Wilkes. "What?"

"Did you have enough fun dangling around while I was getting hit by Bludgers?"

He was holding a hand against his shoulder, almost as if he'd gotten hit. Probably because he did.

"Can't you dodge? Or are you too slow?" I said as I flew toward him, hitting a Bludger along the way.

"Can't you do your job? Or are you too dumb?"

"Don't be jealous," I cooed in an attempt to make him feel stupid, and I knew it was working by the look on his face, "that I took your spot as Beater."

"Hah!" he scoffed. "You only got in by default!"

"You're the one who got knocked off your broom—"

"That was because of the—"

"Because you didn't hit the Bludger in time? Yeah, I figured."

"Let me finish my sentence, you rude little bitch! Your parents must've raised you horribly if they didn't even—"

At the mention of my parents, I zoomed in closer to him and grabbed a fistful of his uniform. "What'd you say?" I hissed. I drew him closer to me, my eyes narrowed.

"Whoa! What's going on over there? It seems as if Piers and Wilkes are having a problem!" said the commentator, sounding very interested.

"You heard me," spat Wilkes. "It must've been hard for a whore to—"

I didn't get the chance to punch him; a Bludger beat me to it. I drew back immediately, eyes wide, as Wilkes jerked to the right, and angrily tried to punch the Bludger away. It hit him again before continuing its swiveling around.

"Ouch! Looks as if Wilkes was hit hard! But hey, on the bright side, at least Piers didn't hit him; that would've hurt more!"

There were laughs from the stadium. Surprised, I raised my eyebrows. Wilkes looked absolutely outraged, glancing around furiously. I also looked around, wondering who had aimed the Bludger at Wilkes, because there was no way it had just happened to hit him. That was when I saw a grinning James hand a bat back to one of his teammates. We made eye contact, and his grin widened.

'Even?' he mouthed. I gave him a look. He grinned again and then suddenly flew up high. He raised his fist in the air.

Two wings fluttered out from between his fingers.

"POTTER GOT THE SNITCH! 100 POINTS FOR GRYFFINDOR! The game is over, 200 to 50! GRYFFINDOR WINS!"

There was an explosion of cheers, so loud that I had to put my hands over my ears in order to keep my eardrums in tact.

I could barely make out the commentator excitingly asking, still on his microphone, "Who saw him catch that? When'd you do that, Potter?"

As the Gryffindors all embraced James, still in the air, my team descended to the ground. Everybody looked absolutely furious.

"That," Lucinda shouted, so that we could all hear, as we all marched toward the dressing room, "was the worst game ever! How embarrassing! Our first game—lost to Gryffindor!"

"It's all because of Piers!" shouted Wilkes angrily, pointing at me accusingly. "She barely helped at all!"

"Hey!" I shouted back hotly. "It's not my fault I was knocked off my broom!"

"Actually, it _was_ your fault. If you'd been paying attention and not chatting with your buddy Potter, you would've seen it coming!"

"You shouldn't be talking, Wilkes," snapped Lucinda before I could respond. "You and Piers were arguing like bloody idiots half the time! You should've been making some goals in the meantime! Sure, Piers was also a major problem, but at least she kept some of the bloody Bludgers away from us. You didn't even make a single goal!"

He stared at her as if she'd lost her mind. Then Rosier hissed,

"And you should've blocked more shots, Talkalot."

Lucinda turned to him sharply. "Don't tell _me_ what to do, Rosy boy." I would've snickered had I not been so tense. "I'm the Captain of this team—"

"No wonder our team's so shitty," muttered Wilkes quietly, but loud enough for us to hear. Lucinda's eyes widened and her beauty instantly dissolved from the expression she wore on her face. Geez, was I happy that I didn't say that. Even my teammates seemed uncomfortable, glancing over at each other incomprehensibly.

"Then maybe," she hissed through clenched teeth, taking a step toward him, "you should go over to the Gryffindor Team. Or the damned Hufflepuffs for all I care. Any damn team that's not mine."

He stared at her for a moment, as if he didn't understand what she said. Then, as if it suddenly dawned on him, he said in disbelief, "You're kicking me off the team?"

"You heard me."

"This is unfair!" he roared, stomping his foot. "I've been on this team for the past six bloody years, you can't just—"

"I can, and I did," she said coldly. His shoulders hunched up, his hands balled up into such tight fists that his knuckles became white, his nostrils flared, and his eyebrows furrowed deeply. He looked absolutely outraged.

He drew his hand toward her, and for a split second I thought that he was going to hit her. The other seemed to notice too, for they tensed, but it was only me and Regulus that took a step forth.

But Wilkes didn't strike her. Instead, he shook a furious finger at her. "You're making a huge mistake."

"I know what I'm doing; don't you tell me otherwise." He said nothing, eyebrows furrowed deeply. "Now you better get the hell outta here before I hex your arse."

He said nothing, though he kept his eyes fixed on her, as he made a move to turn. But she said, "And give me back your robes."

He halted, hesitated, and then ripped off his robes, leaving him in his white briefs. He threw the robes to the ground angrily, and stomped on them. "That's what I think of you and this bloody team!" he roared, looking her square in the eye before his eyes met the rest of ours. Then he stomped out angrily and surprisingly dramatically for the fact that he was half-naked.

There was a long moment of silence as we all stared down at his robes. Then Lucinda snatched them off the ground.

"Practice starts Monday, at the usual time," she said as if nothing had happened. "You better be there. And be ready for a new Chaser."

* * *

><p>"Are you for real?"<p>

"I'm serious, if that's what you're asking."

I glared at the portrait with my arms folded. This was the portrait hole that led inside the Gryffindor Common Room, and apparently there was also a password to get in. A password that I didn't know and couldn't guess right.

"Now how about you go back to your _own_ Common Room and let me get some shut-eye?"

"I don't know how you're going to get some shut eye with all that racket in there," said a male voice from behind me. I turned to see a brown-haired boy walking up the stairs, grinning. I liked the casual way he was dressed, with his sleeves rolled up messily and his tie loosely hanging around his neck. He had a certain charm about him, a certain charm that rivaled Sirius's. He walked up beside me, casting me a casual sideway glance with a handsome smile.

"Ah, Mr. Stebbins!" cried the portrait, batting her eyelashes and fanning herself with her frilly fan. "I was wondering when you were going to arrive."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Good evening," said the boy. "How are you doing?"

"Quite better, now that you're here," she giggled.

So she did have a thing for him. The thought both disturbed and amused me. No wonder I always felt that she was staring after me and boys when we walked off to breakfast…she must've been checking Sirius out! I snickered a little at the thought. Hell, she could've been checking out Peter for all I knew…

"You coming in?"

I looked up to see that the portrait had swung open. I could hear the loud laughs and chatter that I hadn't heard while the portrait had been closed.

"Don't mind if I do."

He made a gesture for me to go in first. Smiling slightly at him, I walked in.

The strong smell of alcohol immediately assaulted me. People were laughing and shouting. Empty bottles were scattered the floor.

This was not at all how I'd envisioned the Gryffindor Common Room to be.

"Wow! It's even louder than I thought it'd be!" shouted a voice next to me. I turned to my right to see 'Mr. Stebbins' next to me, taking in the view.

"Is it always like this on Saturday nights?" I asked him loudly.

He laughed and shook his head, leaning down toward me so that he wouldn't have to shout. "It's because we won the first Quidditch game of the season—over Slytherin!"

I glanced around at the laughing and drinking people. Some were making out in corners, others were dancing around in a drunken fashion, and some were just chugging down beer.

"All of this…just because of a little Quidditch match?"

"Well, yeah!" he laughed. "You know how we Slytherins and Gryffindors don't get along! Which reminds me…what are you doing here?"

"I got locked out of my Common Room." My nose scrunched at the annoying memory. "I forgot the new password, so I couldn't get in!"

"Hey, it's not so bad!" I raised an eyebrow at him as he leaned even closer to me, smiling very charmingly. "Thanks to that, we got to meet."

Normally I would've rolled my eyes and respond with something not-so-nice, but…there was something about it. It was cute, almost cheesy, and it made me laugh.

"What? Too cheesy for you?"

"A little," I admitted, and he chuckled. "Cute, though."

His grin widened. Then he gestured to the punch bowl behind me. "Can I get you a drink?"

I shrugged. I honestly didn't have anything better to do, and he didn't seem so bad. "Sure."

When we walked over to the punch bowl, I was surprised to find that it was actually punch, and not alcohol. But then I saw the bottles of opened and unopened beers beside it, and many bottles of whiskey. The dude started to fish out some punch with a ladle, but I immediately stopped him.

"I don't want punch."

He paused, ladle in midair, and raised an eyebrow at me. "What do you want?"

I smirked. "A shot of whiskey would be nice."

His eyebrows rose further, but he smiled and put the ladle back in the bowl. He instead grabbed a large bottle of whiskey. "I guess I shouldn't have expected otherwise."

"I haven't had alcohol in months, okay? I need a little buzz."

He laughed as he handed me the cup. "All right, all right."

I downed the drink in one gulp. God, it felt so good and so horrible at the same time. That stinging sensation ran down my neck and into my belly, where I could feel it burning. I hadn't felt that since the summer, and damn, was it a refreshing feeling.

I handed him back the cup, and he raised his eyebrows but poured me another shot. "I'm surprised that Dumbledore hasn't found out about this party," I mumbled as he handed me back my cup. "I mean, it's in his own school, and with so many underage…"

"Not many are underage," he said, looking a little surprised. "Many of them are 17. And besides, we're allowed to drink butterbeer when we turn 15…though it doesn't really do much."

I sputtered on my whiskey. "17?" I shouted incredulously. "You're kidding me, right? You've got be playin' with me."

"No…" he frowned. "Is the legal drinking age different in America?"

"Hell yeah it is! We have to be 21 to drink!"

He let out a long whistle. Then he mischievously eyed me as I took a swig of the stinging alcohol. It actually made my eyes burn, and I wondered whether this stuff was stronger than the stuff I had back home. It stung a lot more; I didn't notice in the first shot because I'd been too busy actually enjoying it, but now that I'd had another shot, I noticed that it had a lot more kick than the alcohol I've had before.

"But you said you haven't had a drink in months…which means that you've had it underage."

I shrugged nonchalantly. I blinked as things started to become hazy. Instead of making him get me a drink, I grabbed the whiskey and poured some in myself. And by 'some' I meant a lot.

"This stuff stings," I grumbled.

"It's called firewhiskey for a reason."

"Why don't you guys have any tequila or vodka?" I grumbled, though I still drank it.

"It's enough trouble getting all of this without raising a whole lot of suspicion."

"But I thought you said most people here are old enough to drink."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that the Professors want drunk kids waddling around their school, do they?" He took a sip of punch.

"Guess not."

I knew that I still had a grip on myself, but I could feel my brain going fuzzy.

"You wanna sit somewhere?"

"Gimme a minute," I grumbled, grabbing a bottle of beer. I couldn't take any more of that stinging whiskey. He looked amused. "What? You're not going to offer my your arm?" I huffed, feigning incredulity. I placed a hand on my hip. "What kinda gentleman are you?"

He laughed and offered me his arm. "My apologies, Miss. Your beauty distracted me and didn't let me think much."

I let out an indignant huff as I took his arm and let him lead over to the couch. A couple was getting it on, but I shoved them both off and ignored their yelps. I sat down on the couch and patted the spot beside me, looking up at Stebbins. He stepped over the couple that was now busy on the ground, and sat beside me. We both stared down at the two below us.

"Can't you get a room or something?" I said. But they ignored me. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"You know, I don't think we've had a proper introduction. I'm Josh Stebbins."

"Heya. I'm Alex Piers."

"I know."

"Apparently everybody in this school does."

He laughed. "In my self-defense, I had to know all the names for the game."

I looked at him curiously. "Why?"

"I was the commentator."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "You were?"

"Uh-huh. I don't think I did a very good job this time, though."

"Why not? I think you did great. You were funny."

"Thanks, but I couldn't pay much attention to the game because I was too busy focusing on you." He smiled that charming smile again.

I laughed, and swayed a little. I blinked as my surroundings became hazier than ever. "You're hitting on me."

"I'm not doing a very good job if you just stated it like that and aren't playing along."

I smirked widely. "Oh, I can play along. I just don't know if you can…" My fingers found their way to his shirt, and then to his tie. I roughly tugged on it, so that he jerked forward. He placed his hands against the couch to stop his fall, one hand against the back, one hand by my thigh. When he looked up, we were nearly nose-to-nose. "Handle it."

He smirked. "Try me."

I smirked slyly, and flicked his chin. Before he could make a move, I slipped out of his grasp and onto the floor. I stood up and smirked at him over my shoulder.

"Let the games begin."

* * *

><p><em>Uh-oh...I don't think Remus will be very happy about this. XD Now let me remind you that Alex has had a few shots of whiskey and is getting a little tipsy. Okay, so a little more than just tipsy. She can't resist a handsome guy when she's drunk! But hey, Remus is pretty handsome too... ;) You'll see how that all works out soon. Until next time! <em>


	12. Chapter 12

I took a sip of my punch, and then glanced over at the punch bowl beside me. There was still quite a lot of punch left, considering how most of the students decided to take beer instead. Not many opted for the firewhiskey, though those that did were either passed out on the floor or were too busy making fools of themselves.

"Hey, Moony!" Padfoot approached me, grinning from ear to ear as he held up a bottle of whiskey. "I think you could use this."

"No," I said firmly, though I smiled as I put my cup out of his reach. "You already gave me enough."

"Not enough to get you drunk," he pointed out.

"Seems like you've gotten drunk enough for the both of us," I grinned. It was true, too; his cheeks were flushed and he swayed slightly on his feet. And, aside from the obvious, he'd been busy with Marlene. I didn't know why he did that; I knew he would regret it tomorrow.

He laughed. "I'm 17, though, so it's alright! Unlike _some_ people." He gave me a look. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"We both know that you've had that stuff before you turned 17."

He snickered. "I'm not really gonna argue much with that."

"Hey mates!" Prongs stumbled toward us, flinging his arms around us in both a friendly gesture and so he wouldn't fall over. He laughed. "Some party, huh?"

"All thanks to you!" laughed Padfoot, slapping Prongs on the back. "Catching that Snitch without anybody even noticing!"

He grinned. "Just thought it'd be fun to surprise everybody." He paused and glanced around. "Say, have you either of you seen Lily?"

"She went to the library," I answered. "Said it was too loud in here."

"See you guys later, then." He made a move to leave, but I grabbed him.

"Whoa, hold on a second there. You can't roam the halls like that."

"Like what?" He frowned.

"Drunk."

"Oh, I'll be alright." He waved me off. "I can act sober when I need to."

I raised an eyebrow at him. Then I looked at Padfoot for support.

"It won't be a party without you!" he said.

"It's no longer a party for me without Lily." He got out of my grip, and seeing the expression on my face, he grinned, "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine! See you two later."

And then he walked out of the portrait hole before I could argue any further.

"Should we stop him?" I asked. Padfoot contemplated.

"Nah, let him go." He paused. "I can't believe he's going to the _library_ to ditch this party, though. He's getting pretty serious about Evans."

"Yeah," I agreed, "seems like it's becoming more than just a crush."

"Speaking of crushes…" Padfoot grinned that mischievous grin I knew all too well. "You got something you wanna tell me, mate?"

I felt my face heat up a little. "What are you talking about?"

His grin widened even more. "You very well know what and who I'm talking about, Remus Lupin. Don't you think that I haven't noticed what's been going on between you and—"

Shrieks and peals of laughter overrode him, and we turned to see what looked like a spray of beer shoot into the air.

"What the…?"

"Let's go see!" Padfoot said, lighting up like a child. He dragged me toward the dispersing crowd, and I didn't resist; he'd completely forgotten about our conversation. And I intended to keep it that way. "Aw, is it done raining beer?" he frowned, stopping.

"Sorry you missed it, babe."

I immediately looked up. There stood a dirty-blonde, sipping on her drink and blinking at us.

"Alex?" Padfoot and I shouted simultaneously. She grinned and skipped over to us.

"Hey!" she said brightly. Her shirt had slipped down one of her shoulders, her eyes were glazed, her hair was mussed, and she held a bottle of beer in her hand.

Strangely enough, she was as intoxicating as she was intoxicated.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" Padfoot asked.

"I got locked outta my Common Room. So I came here." Her speech was slurred, and she swayed a little on her feet.

"How'd you get in?" I asked casually, so that she wouldn't notice me trying to take the beer away from her.

She noticed.

"Uh-uh!" She waggled a finger at me, taking the bottle out of my reach. She tapped me on the nose. "That's my drink, not yours!"

I frowned. "You're very drunk right now, Alex; I don't think you should drink anymore."

"Oh, lighten up! We're having a paaaartay; a few drinks don't hurt!"

"Bless your soul!" grinned Padfoot, raising his cup. She grinned and smacked her cup against his before each of them downed their drinks. I sighed. "Aw, c'mon Moony, the girl's right; we're having a party! Let loose and have some fun!"

"Mhm, that's right!" Alex said before I could respond. She flung her arm around me, stumbling a little so that I gently put a hand against her back to keep her upright. "Learn to live a little, baby!"

I couldn't help but laugh a little. "I think that spending time with you everyday has gotten me a bit tired."

"Honey, you've only seen me during the day. Try me at nighttime and you'll be sleeping all through the day tomorrow." She smirked that smirk that meant that she was thinking something inappropriate. Padfoot laughed loudly and clapped me on the back as my face flushed.

"If you're not going to take up that offer, Moony, maybe I will." Padfoot winked, elbowing me in the side. I rolled my eyes.

"It's time to get _down_ tonight!" Alex whooped as she raised her cup in the air, and she moved her head back and forth, as if she as listening to music. Then she started to sing, "Oh do a little dance, make a little love"—my face burned redder—"get down tonight! Get down tonight!" She seemed to be lost in her own little world now, completely oblivious to us as she did a little dance to the music, humming to herself. Padfoot and I exchanged looks of both amusement and concern.

"Is that what you call singing, love?" joked Padfoot.

"Hell yeah it is, and if you gotta problem with that, you better get the hell up outta here before I take you out!"

"If I recall correctly, this is my Common Room."

"You recall incorrectly; it's mine now."

"Alex, please," I said, moving toward her, reaching out worriedly. "I think you should go to sleep."

She paused, and a devilish smirk crossed her face. She stumbled over to me, giggling, as she played with the collar of my shirt. "With you? Of course, darling, if you so insist." She leaned in closer toward me, her strong alcoholic breath hitting me hard. "I get to see that booty shakin' tonight!"

Padfoot wolf-whistled and let out a roar of laughter as I blushed furiously. Gently, I took her hand and pried her fingers off of me.

"Alex—"

"Evening, Black, Lupin. Mind if I borrow Alex for a moment?"

I looked over Alex's shoulder to see a smiling Stebbins. Padfoot looked at me. Before I could answer, Alex twirled around, her hand parting from mine. "If you want me, you'll have to catch me!"

Then, giggling, she ran off in a drunken fashion. Stebbins grinned and chased after her. Bewildered, I turned and stared after them, and watched as Stebbins caught her. He lifted her off the floor, hands wrapped around her waist, making her squeal and giggle.

Something about it annoyed me. Angered me. My hands unconsciously rolled up into tight fists, and my shoulders shook slightly.

"You're just gonna let him get away with it?" Padfoot asked me quietly. Confused, I looked at him.

"Away with what?"

"Your woman."

I stared at me and did a double take, shaking my head furiously. I couldn't have possibly heard him right. "_My_ woman?"

"You heard me."

I stared at him in disbelief, mouth hanging wide open. What was he talking about? He couldn't have possibly been referring to Alex? "Alex is not 'my woman'."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "She's not? Oh, then I suppose that must mean that she's Stebbins' woman, judging by the way they're going at it."

I immediately whirled around. Stebbins had one arm around her waist and was whispering something in her ear. She had one hand in her back pocket, the other holding her drink. She didn't look seduced by his words; she looked more amused than anything.

Despite this, despite the fact that she did not seem affected by his words and that she was probably only half-listening, a sudden violent surge of anger overtook me when Stebbins tucked a lock of Alex's hair behind her ear. Without thinking, blood pounding hard in my ears, I strode toward them.

I pulled Alex to me by her elbow, and she stumbled onto my chest. She drunkenly mumbled "Remus?" as a low, feral growl rumbled in my chest and through my lips. Stebbins froze momentarily, looking frightened. Then, when realization hit him, he shouted angrily,

"What the bloody hell was that for?"

"For trying to take advantage of her."

He gaped. Then his shocked expression turned to one of anger as he hissed, "I'm not taking advantage of her!"

"Oh? Really? My bad, it just looked as if you were telling her what you planned on doing to her tonight."

His face turned from either embarrassment or anger. Judging by his expression, it was probably from anger. "How dare you say such a thing? You've known me for six years, Lupin; you know I wouldn't do that."

I knew it. I knew that Stebbins was actually a good guy, and even though he was a flirt, he would never go as far as Sirius would. He would never, truly, take advantage of someone drunk.

But I didn't care. I didn't care that he was a nice guy, that we'd had our moments together, and that I respected him. It didn't matter. He had put his grubby hands on Alex—and as soon as he did, it didn't matter who he was or where he came from; what mattered was that he had touched her. He had invaded her space and, yes, really had taken advantage of her. Perhaps not to the furthest extent, but I knew that a sober Alex would've beat his arse if he'd even laid a finger on her. And I sure as hell would've helped her out.

"So you would do the same thing to her—touch her and whisper in her ear—while she was sober?"

"Well…of course!" He puffed out his chest a little, his glinting eyes on mine. In a silent challenge.

"We'll see how that works out, won't we?" My voice had grown soft now, but even I heard the dangerous undertone in it.

"We will," he said confidently. Then he looked at the drunken girl on my shoulder. "See you later, Alex."

"Why're you going?" She frowned. "We were just startin' our partay!"

"It seems as if Lupin wants him all to himself. But don't worry, I'll save you later." He winked.

"Oh?" She sounded surprised, but I heard the mischievous edge. "You want me all to yourself, Remus?" Her voice had become a soft purr, and she looked up at me with a devious look.

I was about to look away and blush, but when I felt Stebbins's eyes burning into us I turned to her with an impish little smile. "Of course I do." I reached out and played with a strand of her blonde hair, feeling my heart pound. I couldn't believe that I was doing this. It was weird. I shouldn't be doing this. But it felt so nice, so reassuring, so…right. "I've always had you all to myself, haven't I?" I'd intended to catch Stebbins's eyes at this, but I couldn't; I could not keep my eyes off the girl in front of me.

She looked absolutely captivated. Despite her state of mind, her eyes were alight with what was initially shock, but now wonder. She wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned in toward me, tilting her head. I could smell alcohol on her breath.

"Of course, baby." She voice was soft, delicate. Her words sounded as if they were dipped in sweet honey. "I'm all yours."

I was vaguely aware of an angry hiss and a breeze of somebody furiously walking passed me. And then a hiss of, "We'll see how this works out tomorrow."

Slowly, cautiously, with my hands shaking slightly, I wrapped my arms around my waist. Very lightly, so lightly that I was barely even touching her.

She made sure that I had a firm grip on her. She moved toward me, her chest pressing against mine. Immediately my face burned, and it was at this point that I realized that this was going somewhere I didn't want it to.

…Or did I really want it to go in that direction?

No, no, of course not! Alex was my friend, only my friend! But I knew somewhere, deep down, that I was actually secretly enjoying this. No, not the sexual part per say. I was enjoying _this_. Having her in my arms, feel her breathe against me, her chest rise the same time mine did. It just felt so comforting, so, so…

Right.

"Is this the part where you show me your tongue moves?" Her breath tickled against my ear, and it was then that I was brought back to reality. I nearly jumped away from her when I finally took in the fact that we really were inappropriately close to one another. And as soon as I jumped away, her body heat left me, making me shiver.

"No," I said, my face slowly heating up as I realized what we'd been doing, what _I'd_ been doing. She frowned all sadly. "…C'mon, let's sit down."

She smiled and nodded, grabbing my hand and skipping toward the couch. She jumped down on it, and enthusiastically patted the space beside her. Unable to stop a smile at her eagerness, I took a seat beside her.

"_Now_ are you going to show me your tongue moves? It's more comfortable over here, I must admit." She smirked at me slyly. I blushed.

"No, I'm not going to show you my 'tongue techniques'."

"Oh, you will." She grinned widely. "Maybe not now, but you will."

I didn't really know what to respond to that. She seemed so sure of herself, as if she'd seen the future herself. So I was quiet for a moment as I gently traced her fingertips. She then clasped my fingers through hers, and ours hands were together now. It was comfortable. I liked it.

I looked up at her, and she smiled brightly at me.

"About Stebbins…" I started slowly. "What was…?"

"Hmm?" She moved closer toward me, cocking her head. "What about him?"

I said nothing. Then, "He didn't do anything offensive to you, did he?"

"Aw, nah, we were just playin'." She paused, looking up intently at my face (as intently as she could with those hazy eyes of hers) and suddenly broke out in a knowing smirk. "Somethin' wrong about that?"

I felt my face heat up. "W-what? I never said anything was wrong."

"But you looked it. And you were arguin' with him," she pointed out. She paused, and her smirk widened. "I do have to admit, though, I love it when you're mad."

My eyebrows furrowed slightly. I must've misheard. "What?"

Her smirk was devilish. "It's real sexy when you get mad, 'cause then your voice gets all low and you growl. Well, actually, the growl was a first. But it's damn sexy it is."

Oh, right. I'd growled at Stebbins. I felt a little annoyed at myself for losing control at him like that. The full moon was only two days away; I was having trouble controlling my anger…

My anger wasn't the only emotion I was losing a hold of. There was another emotion that was dominant, especially tonight, and I knew it had something to do with Alex. It wasn't just anger I'd felt when I'd seen her and Stebbins together…it was something more. And not only that, but as I looked down at Alex as she babbled on about my anger being sexy, I felt some sort of feral instinct deep inside me rumble. It wasn't anger. It was something else, something that I didn't know, something that I'd never felt before.

It was when I felt her finger tracing along my collarbone that I jolted out of my thoughts. I looked down to see that she was tracing one of my scars, and rather intently by the way she was looking at it.

"Hey, Remus?"

"Yes?" I murmured, surprised at myself for enjoying the soothing feeling of her fingers against my scars.

"How'd you get these scars anyway? Are you getting in fights without me knowing about it?" There was a playfulness in her tone and I knew that she hadn't meant it as a serious question.

But it was actually a very serious question in my case.

I tried to smile and answer lightly, but I ended up with a bitter scowl and with a strained voice as I said, "Something of the sort."

She said nothing, though she raised her eyebrows slightly at my expression. "Oh." Yet she still continued to trace over my scars. She moved up toward my jaw line, following the path.

I felt a stab of guilt, but I knew that I couldn't tell her the truth. I just couldn't. It wasn't like I didn't trust her, because I did trust her. I trusted her as much as I trusted Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail. It was almost frightening, really, to think that I trusted this girl that I've known for three months as much I trusted the friends I've known for five years.

Even though I trusted her, I couldn't bring myself to tell her. Maybe it had to do with the amount of time we've known each other, or, more likely, that I didn't want to her think of me as something…different. To view me as someone different, a different _creature_. That was exactly what I'd thought my mates would think about me, though it turned out otherwise. They even took it a step further, becoming unregistered Animagus…just for me. So why couldn't I tell Alex, a girl who probably would never think badly of me? I didn't know. But I was certain that I could not tell her such an important secret. Not yet, at least.

And especially not when she was drunk.

"Alex…" I said slowly, choosing my words carefully, "what would you do if I was…different?"

She looked up at me with a finger paused along my jaw line. "You are different, silly!" She smiled. "Everybody's different!"

I couldn't help but smile a little, and felt a little less nervous. "No, I don't mean it like that." I paused, trying to think of how to phrase this. "If I had something like a disease."

It was a good way to put it. A disease. A curse.

She drew away from me now, an eyebrow raised. "You don't have AIDS, do you?"

I laughed at this. This was Alex, the good old Alex who didn't always think in a way McGonagall would deem appropriate. "No, trust me, I don't."

"Good, 'cause I sure don't wanna catch that." She smirked a little, and I knew what she was implying. I chuckled a little in amused exasperation, shaking my head.

"Okay, fine, so maybe not a disease. A disability?" Then, suddenly, I blurted out, "What would you do if I was a mythical creature?"

I was silent for a moment as I let her stare at me in confusion. Then amusement.

"A mythical creature you say, huh?" She tapped a finger against her chin. "Like a unicorn? I would probably just ride you…wait, I'd do that regardless of whether or not you're a unicorn."

My face heated up so much that I had to be hotter than the fire that crackled in the fireplace. I didn't even know what to respond to that. I couldn't. So I hid my face a little with my hand, a little worried that my cheeks would burn a hole right through my hand. She giggled.

"Never mind," I grumbled, looking away. I felt a little annoyed, but I knew that I really shouldn't have. She was drunk, after all, and it wasn't the best time to ask her serious questions. At the same time, though, you learn a lot from what drunks admit.

She stared at me silently for a moment. "If you really wanna know…I wouldn't care at all." I looked at her. She looked back at me very sincerely. "If you've always been a vampire or somethin'"—I gave her a slightly amused look—"during the time I've known you, that doesn't make you a different person. You're still Remus Lupin. So I don't give a hoot of whether or not you have a disability or are some mythical god or whatever."

I felt a sudden rush of gratitude toward her. I didn't have a chance to respond as she suddenly stuck her wrist in my face.

"Here, have some. I taste good."

I laughed and took a hold of her wrist, raising my upper lip so that my teeth showed. I pretended to gnaw at her wrist. She squealed and giggled. I smiled and let go of her hand. She grinned widely. The next thing I knew her head landed onto my lap, and she was giggling up at me. I raised an eyebrow.

"Here." She pointed at her neck. "You can do it properly now."

"Not with your hair in the way," I joked and brushed her hair back. She smiled and tilted her head so that her beautiful eyes were looking up at me. The shadows of the fire danced along her cheeks so that half of her face was orange.

"I wanna go to bed, Remus," she murmured. She did look tired, even exhausted. Despite her exhaustion, though, her eyes were wide, maybe even forcibly, as they stared up into me. Something about the way her eyes sparkled told me that I already knew the answer to the question I asked,

"And where do you plan on sleeping?"

She grinned naughtily. "In your bed, of course."

I considered it a moment. Then I said, "Alright." Her eyebrows rose in shock and she was at a loss of words. I couldn't help but smirk slightly at her reaction. "Well, are we going or not?"

She got up, still looking befuddled. I got off the couch too. We stood there for a moment, and slowly Alex's amazed expression became impish. She grinned widely, throwing an arm around my shoulder. I laughed and put an arm around her in return.

"I knew you couldn't resist," she said softly in my ear. I chuckled.

And so, arms around each other, we walked off toward the boys' dormitory.

* * *

><p><em>I will not further elaborate on the last sentence...hehe. You'll just have to wait for the next chapter to see what happens. <em>_  
><em>

_So, if you didn't figure it out by now, this Chapter was from Remus's POV. Usually I would tell you guys about this in an author's note at the top of the page, but I kinda just wanted you guys to wonder what was going on :P There are two reasons why I chose to do this Chapter from Remus's POV:  
><em>

_1) Alex is drunk. She's not gonna be a very good narrator when all she's saying is how the world is spinning around her. It'd be a pretty pointless Chapter.  
><em>

_2) I wanted to show Remus's feelings. I think it's pretty darn clear how he feels about Alex, and obviously it's a lot more stronger than how Alex feels about him (so far, anyways.)  
><em>

_So, yeah. I hope you enjoyed! Hopin' for 50 reviews by the next chapter! :D  
><em>


	13. Chapter 13

I groggily opened my eyes, yawning unceremoniously as I stretched my arms. I grimaced a little and put a hand to my head, closing my eyes. I took a long, deep breath. My stomach felt slushy and disgusting. I hadn't felt this disgusting hangover state in a long time now. It made me both grimace and smile in reminiscence.

I tried to think back to what I'd done last night, but I couldn't remember much of the details. Most of them came back blurry and fuzzy. I just recalled that I drank a lot and danced and made a complete fool of myself. That probably summed it all up. The only thing I could clearly remember from last night was my dream. Clint Eastwood in his sexy cowboy attire was not an easy thing to forget.

I looked down to my left to see what time it was, but my clock wasn't there. Instead there was a book (and a rather thick one at that) on the bedroom drawer where my clock should've been. Pursing my lips and furrowing my eyebrows, I rummaged through the drawer but none of the things were familiar to me. The drawer was mostly filled with candy and chocolate. Some wrappers were wrinkled and carelessly tossed back after the candy inside had been eaten.

And for the first time I realized that the drapes that surrounded the bed were not green and white; they were red and gold.

Oh Lord.

My first instinct was to raise the blanket to look down at myself. To my great relief, I was still completely dressed. Other than my shoes, wherever they were. I glanced over to my right, half-expecting somebody to be sleeping there. There was nobody.

Maybe I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions so quickly. I might've been in the girls' dormitory, deposited there after having one too many drinks. I'd never be so dumb as to _sleep_ with somebody, no matter how drunk I was.

"See you later," a female voice said in a drawling voice that was clearly attempting to sound sexy and lustful. It wasn't working all too well though, in my opinion.

"Yeah, see you."

I froze. I recognized that voice. It belonged to Sirius freakin' Black.

I peeked out of the drapes to watch a head of bright blonde leave the bed to my right. The drapes were shut to the bed were shut. It took me a second to realize that the bed belonged to Sirius, which meant that I was, indeed, in the boys' dormitory.

That wasn't good.

As soon as the girl left, I quietly climbed out of bed, glancing over my shoulder at Sirius's bed, before scuttling across the floor. I noticed my shoes neatly placed at the end of the bed. Then I heard voices, deep male voices, coming from the far end of the room. Eyes widening, I hastily grabbed my shoes and fled the room before anybody could see me.

I entered the Common Room. It was a total disaster. Bottles and cups were scattered across the floor, and the strong smell of alcohol hit me. I crinkled my nose. Clearly the Gryffindors knew how to throw a party.

But something was very out of place from the picture. There was a cute boy lying down on the couch, tucked underneath a blanket, sleeping away like a little angel. He was too innocent-looking to fit in with the filthy mess around him.

And that boy was Remus Lupin.

I crept up to him and sat down in front of him. He looked peaceful, his eyes closed, his chest moving in a constant rhythm. It also made me realize how very pale he was, and I wondered if he was sick again. He was always a little pale, but sometimes he was much more pale than usual. I always assumed that he got little colds all the time. He often skipped a day or two of school, and quite regularly too.

The scars that ran across his face, for some reason, made him seem even smaller and more vulnerable. I couldn't quite explain why. Scars ought to make a person look tougher, right? But now, as I watched Remus sleep in oblivion, it made him look like a child who merely had the misfortune to have scars. As if it was disease he was born with.

_"What would you do if I was…different?"_

"Alex?"

I spun around. Sirius stood on the last few steps of the stairs that led to his dorm. His shirt was unbuttoned all the way down to show off his chest.

I stared at his chest.

"What're you looking at?" I could hear the playful smirk in his voice.

"Your chest."

He laughed the laugh I'd grown accustomed to and have actually grown to like. "I don't think Moony would want you to be checking out other guys…especially after last night."

That caught my attention.

I tore my eyes away from Sirius's chest and looked at his smirking face. "What?"

His response was a larger, knowing smirk. A smirk that said 'Don't worry, your secret's safe with me' and the wink confirmed it. I furrowed my eyebrows. He retreated back to his dorm without another word.

Especially after last night? Especially after last night. Especially after last night?

I looked back at Remus, my eyes wide. Sirius was clearly messin' with me. I mean, I was wearing my clothes when I woke up; Remus wasn't even in bed…

I did not—we did _not_…

"Remus!" I hissed, shaking him. His liquid eyes flew open and he jolted up, his hair sticking up in all directions.

"What? What?" He looked around him, as if expecting a fire.

I laughed despite myself. He really was just too darn cute. He looked down at me, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, lips pursed.

"Alex?"

"Morning to you too," I smiled, resting my head against the couch and grinning up at him. I'd completely forgotten why I'd shaken him up in the first place; I got lost in his warm eyes.

He groaned a little, sliding a hand over his face. I snickered. He cocked an eyebrow rather eloquently, rather sexily, in fact…

Suddenly I was surprised at how shockingly seductive Remus looked at the moment. A few buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned, but it was the fact that it was only a few that made it so appealing, and his tie hung loosely around his neck. With his hair all bristled up like that and the scars on his face, he looked as if he'd just gotten in a fight, as if he'd throw on a leather jacket and a pair of sunglasses only to lower them to look at me with an eyebrow raised all sexily...

"Alex?"

I blinked up at him. "Yeah?"

He gave me a strange look that was concerned; a look that somebody would give me as if they thought I was crazy, yet pitied me. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm? Yeah," I said, wiping the drool off my mouth.

"Are you sure? Did you get enough sleep last night?"

"I actually slept wonderfully last night; Clint always brightens my dreams…" I trailed off, slowly raising my eyebrows. _Especially after last night. _Did Remus just imply something by asking if I'd gotten enough sleep?

He raised an eyebrow. "Who's that?"

My jaw dropped. "You don't know who Clint Eastwood is?" I shouted. He looked taken aback and confused.

"No…should I?"

"Of course you should!" I said, pointing at him as if scolding. "He's only the best actor of our time! And not to mention foxiest…"

He raised an eyebrow. "Did you just say…?"

"You heard me. If I could get him into bed I would—"

He cleared his throat and put a hand up to stop me. "Alright, alright. I get it. He's a good-looking actor."

"And he's good at acting, too," I continued, feeling a duty to tell him. "He has this characteristic squint"—I tried to mimic it, though I knew it was horrible—"that he always wears, especially during a shootout. You see, he always plays a badass character that…" I trailed off. Remus was smiling at me as if I was a little kid. He had his head cocked to the side and was grinning all silly. "What?"

He shook his head, still smiling. "It's just…you never seemed like much you'd be one of those girls who obsesses over somebody famous."

I raised an eyebrow. "I don't _obsess _over him. I just really admire him."

He laughed. I folded my arms and raised my other eyebrow.

"Are you making fun of me?"

"No," he said and shook his head. He smiled. "Actually, I think it's cute." As if realizing what he'd said, he looked away suddenly. His cheeks were tinged red. Aw, he was just too darn adorable!

"You're cute," I chirped, grinning widely as his blush deepened.

"You're cuter," he grumbled abashedly, peeking at me through his eyelashes.

"Now _that's_ cute," I said and tapped him on the nose.

He smiled and shook his head, as if amused. "Are we really having arguing over who's cuter right now?"

"We've discussed your tongue expertise; this can't be that bad, can it?"

He laughed. "When you compare it to that, I suppose not. Besides, our conversations from last night were…" He trailed off, smiling to himself as if remembering something. "Interesting."

I raised an eyebrow. Before I could ask him what I'd said to him last night, I suddenly remembered why I woke him up in the first place. "We didn't do anythin' funny last night, did we?" I blurted hurriedly.

He looked at me, eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion. "Funny? Well, you were quite amusing…"

"No, no," I said, shaking my head vigorously. "We didn't _do_ anything, did we?" He still looked confused. So I asked him outright.

His face turned an outrageous red. "No! Of course not! What made you think that?"

"Well, I woke up in the boys' dorm, and then Sirius just came out here implying that we did…"

He sighed and shook his head. "Oh, Padfoot. He was just fooling around and trying to trick you."

"I see that now," I grumbled. "That kid's never up to any good."

"No, he's not," Remus agreed with a grin.

"So, how exactly did I end up in your bed then...?"

"You got tired and said you wanted to go to sleep—you remember that you came over to the Gryffindor Common Room and had a few drinks, right?—and since you insisted on sleeping in my bed—" I did? "I let you. And then I came over here to this couch to get some shut eye myself."

"Oh. Thanks, then. I owe you one."

"Not a problem," he smiled. "Just don't drink too much next time, alright?"

"Was it really that bad?"

He nodded, though I knew it was partially just to tease me. "Oh, yes, it was pretty bad."

"Shut up," I growled and playfully punched him.

He clutched his arm as if I'd actually hurt him. "This is the thanks I get for stopping you from passing out on the floor?"

I giggled then looked at him sympathetically. "Oh you poor baby, are you okay?"

"No," he said all sadly and cutely, pursing his lips.

"Will you ever forgive me?"

"I don't know if I can."

Resisting my giggles to continue playing my 'role', I got up beside him on the couch. I batted my eyelashes at him, and I saw him hold in a laugh. "Is there anything I can do to convince you that I'm truly sorry?" I leaned in toward him, close to his face. "Anything?" I said softly.

I knew I'd hit the jackpot when he actually blushed a little. I laughed and was about to pull away when I heard an amused,

"Am I interrupting something?"

We both turned to see Lily Evans standing behind the couch. Her arms were folded across her chest and she was smiling mischievously.

"No, not at all," Remus said, jumping off the couch. He was blushing fiercely as if we'd been caught making out. I snickered at his reaction.

"Are you sure?" Lily asked, peeking at me. "Because I could just leave."

"Nah, it's alright. Just be prepared to hear some loud noises tonight."

"Alex!" Remus gasped, appalled.

"Yeah, those kind of noises." Remus was left speechless, blushing hard. I laughed. "You know I'm just yanking your chain." I playfully pushed him as I got off the couch.

"Well, it looks to me as if you guys had enough fun already," Lily said, hiding a smile as she gestured to Remus's attire. He looked down at himself as if realizing how messy he looked. I laughed.

"Wow, Lily, you never came off to me as the type to draw those kinds of conclusions."

She grinned slyly at me.

"I look like a mess," Remus grumbled, trying to flatten his hair. "I'm going to go change."

"Need any help?"

"Alex!"

"I was just asking!"

He gave me a look. I giggled. "No, I can change on my own, thank you very much."

I pursed my lips. "Do you have to change?" I whined. He raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, look at me!" I looked at him. "I'm a mess!" he said, sounding as if he wondered why I hadn't realized it.

"No," I said, "you look good. Real good."

He grumbled incoherently underneath his breath and looked away in embarrassment. Lily put a hand over her mouth to hide a giggle.

"I'm going to go change," he mumbled, tugging down his shirt as he started to walk away.

"We're going to go eat breakfast," Lily shouted out to him as he left for his dorm. "Just don't tell Potter!"

He chuckled in response.

"C'mon, let's go," Lily said, dragging me out of the Common Room. "So what's with you and Remus?" she asked abruptly, as soon as the portrait behind us closed. I did a double take, bewildered by the sudden question. And a rather strange question at that, too.

"We're friends, obviously."

She rolled her eyes as we walked passed yawning students. "Oh, please. You guys were all over each other."

"You actually just walked in at the wrong time. We weren't seriously going to do anything; we were just joking around."

She looked at me skeptically. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, really."

"Fine, then, even if you two weren't about to start snogging, you were still all over each other."

I furrowed my eyebrows, jumping over the missing step in the staircase. "What makes you say that?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You were flirting with him!"

I gaped at her. "I was not!"

"Yes, you were! You called him attractive and you kept on saying suggestive things."

"I'm always like that," I pointed out. "I don't exactly have the cleanest mind around."

"Oh, I've noticed." I glared at her. She laughed. "I've also noticed that you and Remus are quite close."

I sighed and shook my head, stopping in the middle of the hallway. She stopped and looked back at me. A few students grumbled at us as they pushed past. "Look, Remus and I are just friends. That's it. We don't have some secret relationship going on, we're not all lovey-dovey or any of that crap. We're friends. Understood?"

She sighed deeply and nodded. "Alright. I'm sorry if I seemed nosy and pushy."

"That's okay." I started walking again. "I guess I'm not really used to all this 'girl talk'."

She looked at me questioningly. "Why not? Your friends don't talk about boys much?"

"Most of my friends are guys," I pointed out. "So we don't talk about boys."

"Oh, right. That makes sense." She paused, then smiled a little at me. "Then I guess you'll just have to start getting used to it."

"Then let's talk about James."

"So anyways, the other day—"

I burst out laughing. "Now who doesn't wanna talk about guys?"

"James Potter is an entirely different breed, no, _species_, of guys. You don't want me to even get started on what—"

"Miss. Piers! There you are!"

Slughorn was rushing toward his, his belly shaking with each step, and he sounded out of breath. He stopped in front of us, panting.

"Good morning, Professor. Is everything alright?" Lily asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Good morning, Miss. Evans," panted Slughorn, hands on his knees. He looked as if he'd just run a mile. "I'd love to chat right now, but I really need to borrow Miss. Piers right now." He paused, and I was surprised to see an angry glint in his eyes as he looked up at me. "Who I couldn't find in the Common Room this morning," he added bitterly.

"Well that's because I wasn't in the Slytherin Common Room."

He straightened up, letting out a deep breath. "You have to stay in your own Common Room; those are the rules. I should deduct House points from Slytherin…I really don't want to, but…"

"Don't blame Alex, Professor. It was my fault she stayed at my Common Room instead," Lily said.

Slughorn and I gaped at her.

"Miss. Evans!" he gasped. "I would've never expected such behavior from my star pupil!"

"She was helping me with my Charms homework"—I resisted the urge to snort—"and I suppose we just lost track of time…it's really not her fault, Professor."

He rolled his shoulders, clearing his throat. "Well...I suppose I _could_ let it slip this one time. You were studying, after all."

"Oh, thank you, Professor!" she beamed. "Thank you!"

He chuckled a little, apparently enjoying the gratitude. "It's not a problem. Just don't let it slip to any other Professors, alright?" He winked.

She grinned. "You have my word."

"So, anyways, where were we? Oh, yes, we have to get going, Miss. Piers." He indicated for me to follow him as he said goodbye to Lily. I looked back at her and mouthed 'I owe you one' before setting off after Slughorn. She grinned and waved.

"Where are we going?" I asked Slughorn, catching up with his quick pace. "Am I in trouble?"

He chortled. "No, Miss. Piers, you are not in trouble. Professor Dumbledore simply wanted to have a little chat with you. Thirty minutes ago, might I add…"

"Oh."

I felt my heart sink. If Dumbledore wanted to see me, it was obviously about our last talk. He was probably going to tell me that I was going to leave Hogfarts.

With this in mind, Slughorn and I walked down the halls in relative silence, chatting occasionally and lightly.

When we made it to Dumbledore's office, Slughorn left me to be after opening the gargoyle for me. I walked up the escalator stairs and knocked on the door.

"Come in," said a voice from the other side. I opened the door. Dumbledore, sitting at his desk, looked up. His half-moon glasses were halfway down his nose. He smiled warmly, making his eyes crinkle.

"Ah. Miss. Piers. Good morning."

"Morning."

"Please, have a seat." He gestured to the chair in front of him. I walked across the room with the many spinning objects and took a seat in the oversized chair. I looked at him expectantly, but he merely smiled. He placed his quill down and looked at me with his full attention, his blue eyes intensely on my brown ones.

"You're probably wondering why you're here."

"I am."

"Well, it's about our last conversation." I groaned inwardly but remained silent. "I've put a lot of thought into my decision. I also contacted your father"—I groaned aloud—"to discuss your stay here. You have caused quite a lot of trouble in our school, Miss. Piers, and I want you to understand that we do not tolerate fighting."

I remained silent.

"However, your father insisted on keeping you here. He said it would really help you become a better person. I granted you the privilege to stay, under a few conditions."

"Of course," I mumbled.

"First, I expect to see no more fighting from you. None at all. Do you understand me?" His voice was firm and his gaze was unwaveringly on mine.

"I understand." But because I understood didn't mean I promised anything.

"Second, you're going to need to raise your grades. You're not performing as well in your classes as I've hoped." I grumbled incoherently underneath my breath. I rarely did my homework back at normal school, so he expected me to do it here? "So I've decided to assign you tutors."

I raised an eyebrow. "What? Like teachers?"

"No, they'll be students that are doing exceptionally well in their classes."

"Oh, that's cool."

"Yes, very cool indeed." I snickered and he smiled. "Lastly, I need you to talk to your father."

I simply stared at him for a moment. Then I learned forward and damn near shouted, "_What_?"

"I've even gotten you a special Muggle phone for the occasion." And out he scooped out a telephone from underneath his desk.

"Why the hell do I have to talk to my dad?" I snapped. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Watch your language," he reprimanded lightly. "And I believe your father needs to understand your situation. Or, rather, you can only understand the situation you are in until your father explains it all to you."

"Aren't you explaining it to me right now?"

"Yes, but I'm not your father; I have no jurisdiction to keep you here against your will."

"I'm not here against my will."

He raised his white eyebrows. "I thought that that was how you felt."

"It was, but not anymore." I didn't even realize the truth of my words until I said them. It was true; I didn't mind Hogfarts anymore, and if I went back now anyway, it'd be too late to catch up in school. It was December already, after all.

"Well, then, you may be here voluntarily, but without following the rules of Hogwarts, there's a problem. I believe that your dad will be the only one to…" He paused, thinking of the word. "Straighten you out."

I scowled and folded my arms across my chest. "What if I don't wanna talk to him?"

He smiled kindly. "Then you will be leaving Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy."

"Are you serious?"

"I'm not Mr. Black, but I am indeed very serious."

I sighed. "Fine, then, if I talk to my dad I get to stay here?"

"And if you don't get into fights and follow through with your studies," he added.

I grimaced. "That's a lot."

He chuckled. "We want our students to succeed, and the only way to do so is give you a little push."

"This is more than a little."

"Well, the choice is yours." He got up. "I'll give you a moment to think this out, shall I?"

He swept across the room, closing the door behind him. The clock ticked away as the room fell silent.

It really wasn't much he was asking for. From another person's point of view, anyway. Don't get in fights, do your work…I could do that. If I tried really hard. It _would_ be very difficult not to get in any fights with all the assholes swarming the school. With a little self discipline and self-control, though, I might be able to pull it off.

Hah! I laughed at the thought. Me, Alex Piers, have self-control? That was one of the things my parents always said they wished I had. It was one thing they agreed on. Actually, _I _was the one thing they agreed on: that I was a good-for-nothing daughter. And it pissed me off. Sure, I'd gotten used to it, and I knew that it was my fault for staying up late from partying, never doing my homework, and blah blah blah, but it still angered me how they thought I couldn't do things on my own.

I _can_ do things on my own. I'm nearly eighteen, for cryin' out loud! And this, I realized, this was my chance to prove them wrong.

Without any thought to it, I picked up the phone and dialed my dad's number. It was only then that I realized that it probably wouldn't work since it was overseas, but to my great surprise the usual phone beeps came through. As the phone continued to beep periodically, I hoped that he wouldn't pick up, just crossed my fingers and hoped—

"Hello?"

Damn it. "Hey, Dad, it's Alex."

There was a brief moment of silence on the other line. Then, in an instant, he was shouting so loud that I had to put the phone away from my ear, "You got kicked out, didn't you? God damn it, Alex, I try so hard to give you good opportunities and you just—"

"I didn't get kicked out!" I shouted into the phone. There was sudden and complete silence on the other line. I gripped my free hand into the chair, breathing hard.

"Oh…what do I owe this pleasant surprise to, then?"

I laughed scornfully. 'Pleasant surprise.' "Don't you mean pain in the ass?"

"Alex." He sounded exasperated. "You're my daughter; you are not a pain in my rear end."

"Really? For some reason, over the past 17 years, I've gotten a strange vibe that tells me that I am."

He sighed. "Must we start this again?"

"Oh, of course not, I'm sure you're really busy right now. I'll just tell Dumbledore that—"

"Dumbledore?" Oh, _now_ he sounded interested.

"Yeah, he's the reason I'm calling you. Apparently he wanted you to explain everything to me? I don't really know."

"Didn't he explain it all to you?"

"That's what I thought too."

There was a thoughtful silence on the other line. "Well," he said finally, "did he explain to you the terms that you have to obey to stay at Hogwarts?"

"Yeah."

"Which were?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed. He always treated me like a child. "Not to get in fights and to do my work."

"And will you do so?"

"Maybe."

He let out another sigh, a deep and exhausted one. "Alex."

"What? I don't wanna lie and say yes."

"Well, if you don't follow those rules, you know where you'll be going?"

"Home."

"No. Military school."

I took the phone away from my ear and gave it a dumbfound expression. Then I said, "What?" before realizing that I needed to speak into the phone, and did so, saying the same thing in the same idiotic voice.

"You heard me, young lady. I'll ship you off to military school if you don't straighten up there."

"But-what-what the hell makes you think that you can just ship me off to military school?" I was starting to feel angry now. What made him think he could just do that?

"I'm your parent; I have the legal authority to do so," he stated in a matter-of-fact way that just pissed me off more.

"How can you even consider yourself my parent if you have no idea what's been going on in my life? You think that legal rights is gonna straighten all this out?"

"Alex, sweetheart." He sounded concerned now, trying to get me to understand, trying to soothe me. "You know that ever since your mother and I divorced, it's been difficult to keep contact."

"You could've just kept contact with me, if you really hate Mom that much."

"I don't hate your mom—"

"Of course you do. Why else would you have gotten a divorce in the first place?" He had no response to that. "Besides, this isn't about that. This is about you waltzing into my life out of nowhere and thinking that you can control my life,_ my life_."

"I'm not trying to—"

"You sure as hell are!" I shouted. "Don't you try to deny it!"

"Fine!" he shouted back. "You wanna know the truth? I sent you off to the other side of the world to straighten you the hell out! You party late at night, you drink, you hang around with good-for-nothing friends—"

"What do you know? Huh? _What do you know_? You don't know ANYTHING about me, you don't know ANYTHING about my friends, and you damn well don't know ANYTHING about the life I live!"

"Don't you tell me what I do and don't know!" he shouted. I imagined his face red, as it always turned when he was angry. I bet some veins were even popping in his forehead. I probably looked somewhat similar. "I know the stuff you've done! Your mother has told me all about your late night parties and—"

"Oh, I thought you couldn't keep contact with Mom. Oh, of course, when it comes to talking shit about me, though, you can talk with her as long as you damn well please!"

"We speak out of concern for you!

"Concern? _Concern_? You've never been concerned for me a single damn day in your life!"

"How dare you say such a thing? I care for you more than you give me credit for—"

"You don't give a damn about me!"

"What makes you say such a horrible thing, huh? I've done so much—"

"You've never done anything for me!"

"Don't you say that!" he roared. "Do you have any idea how much effort and work I put in to get your sorry ass over to Hogwarts? Do you have any idea how much I had to convince your principals and teachers to keep you in your old school and not get you expelled over these past years? Do you have any idea how many phone calls I've had to make on your behalf, trying to get the cops off your back? Well, do yah?"

"You only give a damn about me when I screw up!" I screamed, jumping off my seat. "You only give a damn when there's a chance of me embarrassing you! It's always about _you_!"

"You have no idea how ungrateful you are, do you?" His voice was low and furious. "You really have no idea. I put in so much of my time and effort to you, but for what? For a daughter that bitches about everything I do? I sent your ass out to Hogwarts so you can clean up your act. So you can learn a few things about what life is really like out there without your parents. But apparently you're still the same ungrateful little daughter that I left at the airport. So you know what? I'm going to lay out the goddamned rules like there's no tomorrow.

"You're going to do better in school. You're going to raise your grades, you're going to stop getting into fights. If you don't, I'm shipping you off to military school. You probably think that this is all a joke, that military school is a joke, that life is a joke. But it's not a joke. This is reality. Do you understand that? Life is a lot tougher than you realize, Alex, and maybe military school will help you see that."

"What," I was having spitting the words out, my voice was shaking with fury and my entire body was shaking too, "gives you the right to tell me what to do?"

And that was when he exploded.

"I'm your father. _Your father._ You get that? You understand that? I'm your father. I'm your dad. I brought you into this world; without me, you wouldn't be here. What I say goes. You respect me. There's no if or but. You respect me and you listen to me. I tell you what to do and you do it, Alexandria Piers, you"—there goes that seven letter word—"do it."

I was silent for a moment. Then, softly, I said something that rhymed with luck, adding "you" behind it. Then I said it again, louder, practically shouting. Before he had a chance to shriek at me, I screamed into the phone, "You may call yourself my father, but you are not, and never will be, a real father to me!" and slammed the phone down so hard that it clicked off before falling over the table and landing with a loud crash.

Breathing hard, my eyes watering, I ran out the door, leaving the phone to beep sullenly through the room.

* * *

><p><em>Geez, Fanfiction changed its layout again? I miss the old setup...oh, how times change. *Sighs* Anyways, let me just say right now that this Author's Note may end up being long. <em>

_It's been a good two months since I updated, I know. And I probably won't update for another two months. I really shouldn't, to be honest. I have a big ol' test in May, so I need to study. And as much I'd love to spend my free time writing fanfiction, I really shouldn't. So that's that.  
><em>

_As for this chapter, a lot happened in it. So, just to clarify, Alex and Remus did NOT, I repeat did NOT, sleep together. After all, she only asked to sleep in his bed, and that's exactly what he let her do. Hehe. I tricked you. :P But really, Remus would not take advantage of Alex like that because she's so drunk. It'd be hypocritical of him to be all 'don't take advantage of her' to Stebbins when he does the same thing himself. And besides, Remus isn't really the kind of guy to do that sort of thing. _

_And as for Alex's relationship with her dad? It's obviously very strained. She doesn't really get along with him, if you noticed. It was actually the argument between them that took me so long to complete this chapter. Their relationship is actually more complex than just the entire 'rebellious teenager acting up against her parents' sort of thing. And yes, if you haven't taken the hints throughout the story, Alex's parents are indeed divorced. That's why she saw her family in the Mirror of Desire some chapters ago. Although she doesn't even consciously realize it, all she really wants is one big happy family. Not in a corny way, of course, but all she really wants is the acceptance of her parents (particularly her dad.) _

_Oh, I almost forgot! I passed 50 reviews! WOOOO! That's a new record! *Stands up and cheers* I thank you all for reviewing and reading my story. It really makes me happy that so many people enjoy it! So thank you!_


	14. Chapter 14

_"Why can't you be more like your brother?"_

_ "Is this the way you want to spend the rest of your life?"_

_ "Sorry about not calling for your birthday yesterday, sweetheart, I was at a meeting all day and I simply didn't have the time to call…"_

My hands were knotted in my hair so hard that it actually hurt. Tears that refused to stay in my eyes began to trail down my cheeks. Hot, angry, bitter tears that were too damn salty.

I hated my dad. I hated the way he could make me lose control and get furious like this, I hated the way he spoke to me as if I was a child, I hated the way he always compared me to my brother, I hated the way he was never there for me but still claimed himself rights to me. I hated the way he didn't treat me like a daughter. He treated me like I was a burden to him, as if I was something he had to put up with.

Light suddenly burst into the closet and the door flung open. I shielded my eyes and grunted, disgruntled.

"Found you!" said a gleeful voice. "Told you she'd be here, Wormtail. You know the Map never lies."

"Well, I knew that the Map doesn't lie," said another voice. It was Peter no doubt, and he was probably fidgeting. "I just thought we should leave her some privacy…"

"Privacy?" scoffed another. "Where's the fun in that?"

"What the hell are you all doing here?" I snapped at last, lowering my arms to glare at all four boys that crowded around the door. James was right in the doorway, with Sirius peeking over his shoulder. Remus and Peter were standing in the back.

It was a bad move to lower my arms. James's grin slid off his face. His eyes widened and his glasses slid down his nose as he leaned in toward me, his expression one of shock.

"Piers…are you…are you _crying_?"

"What's it to you?" I snarled, wiping the tears away with my hand. It was useless, though; tears continued to pour down my cheeks.

He simply stared at me in complete shock.

"Very funny, Prongs," Sirius said, pushing him aside to get a better view. "C'mon, Piers, let's go—bloody hell!"

"Go away!" I shouted, not enjoying the attention at all. And it pissed me off how Peter was trying to peek at me, as if I was some animal in the zoo. "Leave me alone!"

"Alex, love," Sirius murmured softly, and it made me want to cry all the harder, "what's wrong?"

He bent down and extended a hand out toward me. I slapped it away.

"I _said_ go away!"

I knew that I was being harsh and that he was simply trying to help, but I didn't care. I simply wanted to be left alone.

"Back off, Padfoot," said a voice softly. I refused to look at anything but the cobweb in the corner of the broom closet. I heard the shuffling of feet. "Is everything alright, Alex?" said a voice to my left. I knew that it was Remus, and I assumed that he was bending down on his knees so he could be level with me, but I still refused to look at him.

I didn't respond. My throat didn't allow it; it felt constricted. So I remained silent, staring at the cobweb. There was a moment of silence between us, though I heard Peter whispering quickly in the back.

"Alright," Remus murmured, and I heard him stand. "We'll be in the Common Room if you need us. Just ask somebody to get in and—"

I couldn't take it. He didn't push me, he didn't pester me. He actually respected my wishes and was going to leave me alone.

I burst into tears.

Remus was there by my side in an instant, pulling me into him. I sobbed against his chest, clutching onto his shirt. "It's alright," he murmured softly, "it's alright to just let it all out."

So I did. I sobbed harder than I ever had, and from time to time I would grumble things about my dad. Remus continued to pet my hair and straddle me, listening to me the entire time.

I didn't know how long we were like that—embraced in each other's arms; me bawling like a baby and him holding me, soothing me. My tears did stop after a while, and I soon became quiet.

"Are you alright?" he whispered, still running his fingers through my hair.

"I am now," I replied hoarsely. He tightened his grip on me, pulling me closer, and I snuggled against his neck. He rested his cheek on top of my head, continuing to brush through my hair. I liked this. It was comforting.

"Thanks," I said and cleared my throat. "For, yah know, putting up with me." I looked up at him, and he turned to look down at me.

"Of course," he replied soothingly. He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. His eyes never left mine. "I'll always be here for you, Alex."

It made me want to cry all over again. But I didn't. Instead I wrapped my arms around his neck in a hug. He hugged me back tightly, and his warm body heat radiated through me. We remained like that for a few moments, simply embracing each other tightly. I could smell a hint of chocolate off him…

My stomach growled loudly.

We broke apart. I grinned sheepishly.

"I didn't have breakfast."

He laughed. "You must be starving! How about we go get a snack from the kitchen?"

"We can do that?"

"Yeah, of course." He stood up and helped me up.

"Without sneaking in?"

He laughed. "We can walk in whenever. Shall we?"

"Let's shall." I opened the door and squinted at the sudden brightness that enveloped me. I rubbed my eyes and turned to Remus. "Lead the way, babe."

He chuckled and extended his arm out to me, his eyes twinkling. I laughed and took his arm, letting him lead me down the hall.

"So," I said after a moment or two, hoping that we'd still be able to have a normal conversation after all that, "I'm staying at Hogwarts."

"That's great!" He seemed genuinely happy about it, beaming down at me.

"Yeah, but it'd be even better if I got to stay without having to stick to the 'conditions'."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Dumbledore told me that I had to raise my grades and stop getting in fights. I know," I added at the look he gave me, "he's not really asking for much; it's not like he told me that I had to clean all the bathrooms for the rest of the year or anything." He chuckled a little. "But for me…it's kinda difficult."

"Do you think you can do it?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "But I _do_ know that if I don't, and if I'm kicked out of here, that my dad plans on taking me to military school. Not that I'd go anyway," I added, "'cause I would just go hide out in Los Angeles or something. He won't be able to do anything once I turn 18."

"Military school?" He sounded surprised and befuddled. "That's quite drastic, isn't it?"

"It's not drastic; it's downright crazy. And he thinks that I'm actually going to go? Hah! That man has no damn right to dictate me like that!" I could feel some anger pulse through me again, and my hands unconsciously curled into fists.

Remus was quiet for some time. Then, softly, he asked, "You don't get along very well with your father, do you?"

I snorted loudly. "Hell no I don't! That bastard never cared for me!"

"Now, now," he said gently, "I'm sure he loves you very much."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "If he really cares for me, why doesn't he ever call me? Why doesn't he keep contact with me? Why is that last summer had been the first time in two years that I'd seen him? Why is that the only times he calls me is to yell at me? Even just now when I called him, he immediately jumped to conclusions and started to yell at me, thinking that I'd gotten expelled." I let out a deep breath.

"You just spoke with your dad?" Remus questioned, sounding surprised.

"Dumbledore made me," I growled. "That's why I was just…"

He immediately connected the dots. "Ah, I see." He paused, seeming to have trouble deciding what to say. Then, hesitantly, he asked, "Your parents…are they…?"

"Divorced?" I smiled at his hesitation, at the way he was having difficult finding the right way to ask. "Yeah, they are. They divorced when I was pretty young, and my mom and I moved to Brooklyn."

"Oh." He nodded. "So that's why you don't see him often?"

"Yeah, and, well…there's more than just that." I hesitated. I wasn't sure if I wanted to explain and revisit all that Christmas drama. He read the expression on my face and he suddenly switched to another topic. Grateful that he didn't push me, I played along, even talking about homework for a short time.

We stopped in front of a large painting of a bowl of fruit. I looked curiously at Remus, and he smiled at me as he took a step toward the painting. He tickled—yeah, tickled—the pear. It giggled, making me jump and shout, and transformed into a green doorknob. He twisted it and opened the painting-turned-door for me.

"Ladies first."

"Why thank you, dear sir." I gave him a little curtsey and entered. My jaw dropped at what I saw.

The 'kitchen', or at least what I thought it was, was as an exact replica of the Great Hall, except with pots and pans and stoves and counter tops. Little creatures were walking around, holding pots and chatting to one another, until a few of them noticed us.

"Mr. Lupin!" squealed one of the creatures, rushing up to us. I couldn't help but make a face at it. I had no idea what the hell it was, but what I did know was that it was downright ugly. It was a small, wrinkly creature that had ears like a bat and eyes as big as tennis balls. It wore what appeared to be a tea towel on its little body.

"Hello, Hooky," smiled Remus. "How are you doing?"

"I is doing quite fine, sir, quite fine indeed!" His voice was really high-pitched. "How is you fairing, sir?"

"I'm doing well, too, thanks for asking."

"And Mr. Black and Mr. Potter? I hasn't seen them in quite some time, sir."

"They're doing just fine. Listen, Hooky, my friend here"—he gestured to me, and I grinned and waved—"didn't have a chance to eat breakfast this morning. I was wondering if you could cook something up for her."

Some of the other creatures had joined, and were eagerly bobbing their heads. Immediately they asked me what I wanted, saying they'd make anything I wanted. A little flustered at the bombardment of questions, I lamely told them to make anything they wanted. That only fired them up some more, insisting that they make something I wanted.

"How about some sausage and eggs, then?" offered Remus. His lips were twitching, as if he was resisting the urge to laugh. "Would that be alright with you, Alex?"

"Sure. Oh, and some OJ would be nice too."

"OJ? I is sorry, miss, but I is not familiar with that term. Silly Hooky, not knowing what OJ is!" And he hit himself on the head.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?" I shouted with wide eyes, moving forward. He bonked himself again, and would've continued if Remus hadn't taken his hands to stop him.

"It's not your fault," Remus told Hooky calmly and reassuringly. "It's an American term; you really have no need to know it." I raised an eyebrow. "OJ is just…what is it?" He looked at me.

"Orange juice," I grumbled, "but it doesn't even matter anymore, I don't—"

"Oh, no, miss, I'll get it right away!" Hooky bobbed his head vigorously. "We has got plenty of orange juice!"

I decided not to argue. If he wanted to get it for me, then I supposed he ought to; besides, I didn't want him to get angry and hurt himself again.

"Is there anything you'd like, Mr. Lupin?" squeaked another of the creatures.

He seemed to think about it for a moment. "Well…I have been craving a blueberry muffin."

"Right away, sir!"

They all seemed pretty damn excited about fixing us breakfast, and hurried off to work. Remus turned to me and smiled. I leaned in toward him and asked quietly,

"What _are_ they?"

"House elves," he replied. "You can think of them as maids, I suppose," he said, trying to relate to something I would understand. "Shall we sit?" he smiled as he gestured to the long tables. I took a seat at the closest one to us, which happened to be the Ravenclaw table.

"What kinda kitchen is this?" I frowned as I looked around. "It looks just like the Great Hall."

"That's so when the house elves have the food prepared, they're able to place it on these tables and send them to us."

"Magical."

He laughed. "Yes, magical things do tend to occur around here."

I smiled, then let out a little breath through my nose that was supposed to be something like a laugh of disbelief. "I hope so. I could really use some fairy dust right now that'll take me to Neverland."

His expression changed. "Alex," he said softly. He reached a hand out toward me across the table, but whether or not he had been planning on grasping my own hand I would never know; the elves returned to us and placed the trays in between us. Remus recoiled his hand immediately as if burnt, and smiled at the elves.

They watched us eagerly and expectantly. We thanked them for the food and began to eat.

"This is delicious!" Remus smiled through a mouthful of muffin. Something about his smile was off.

"Yeah, so is this," I added, munching on a sausage, watching Remus out of the corner of my eye.

The house elves beamed as if we'd told them they'd won a million dollars. Then they hurried on off to do the rest of their work.

Remus and I ate in silence, and it soon started to peeve me.

"Do you want to leave Hogwarts?" Remus asked me at last, just before I was about to inform that he had a milk moustache. I did a double take, because the question had caught me off-guard.

"No."

He actually narrowed his eyes at me. "Are you sure? You don't need to lie to me, Alex. If you don't like it here you shouldn't have to—"

"I'm staying here because I want to, Remus," I said slowly. "Why? Do _you_ want me to leave?"

"No, no!" he said hurriedly, shaking his head vigorously. "That's not what I was trying to say at all! It's just that...well..."

"Thanks for your concern, babe, really." I smiled genuinely at him. "But I'm gonna stay here for the rest of the year. I need to prove my dad wrong."

"I'm sorry?" He looked confused.

"You see, my parents think I'm a failure at life." My smile stiffened and lost its genuineness. "They think that I can't do anything right. But this—this is my chance to prove them wrong. I can do things that I put my mind to. They treat me like I'm a kid, like I can't make my own decisions, like I can't do anything. But I can do things, and I can stay at Hogwarts, and I will prove them that I'm not a failure."

"You don't need to prove that to them," he smiled gently. "You're not a failure."

I chuckled darkly, shaking my head. "It's sweet of you to say that, babe, you're even sweeter than that muffin you're eating, but you don't even know the half of it. You really don't."

"You're right; I don't know the whole story. But I do know this." He shoved the platter between us away and took my hand, squeezing it. His liquid eyes stared into mine. "I know that you're an amazing person, and that you always do whatever you set your mind to. You're funny, you're blunt, you don't give a damn what others think about you, you're reckless, you're impatient." I wasn't sure if he was complimenting or not, and seeing the expression on my face he smiled. "And I wouldn't change you for the world."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?" I asked skeptically.

He grinned. "Really. And I hope your parents open their eyes and realize what they're missing out on."

"Thanks, Remus." I patted his hand and smiled. "Thanks."

We only stayed like that a moment or two longer. As if realizing what he'd been doing, Remus drew away from me and asked me if I was ready to head back to the Common Room. Chortling at the way he referred to the Common Room as if it was mine and I actually belonged to it, we headed out of the kitchen.

When we entered the Gryffindor Common Room, Sirius, James, and Peter were lounging around on the couches. Sirius was the first to notice us and grinned.

"Took you two long enough! Maybe you were using that broom closet for other uses?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Sorry to disappoint you, babe," I said as I plopped down beside him, "but I'm a little too classy for that."

Remus laughed and James snickered. Sirius playfully wrapped an arm around me and pulled me in close to him. I was about to protest and punch him when he whispered in my ear,

"You alright?" His voice was really soft and concerned.

"I'm fine," I smiled, ruffling up his elegant hair. "Thanks."

"Just remember that ol' Sirius is always here for you." He gave me a gentle squeeze on the shoulder, then grinned and tousled my hair. I shouted in protest and swatted at him. He laughed.

"So, Piers," James said slowly, scrutinizing me to see if it was alright to talk to me, "how'd that Quidditch game make you feel, huh?"

I fired up instantly, jumping out of my seat. "You son of a bitch! If you hadn't distracted me, that damn Bludger wouldn't have hit me!"

He grinned widely, apparently finding my reaction amusing and, with the glance he gave Remus, maybe even reassuring? Sirius laughed. "I warned you, but you didn't believe me!" James said. "It's not _my_ fault you weren't paying attention. You need to learn how to focus more, Piers."

"You should be happy I didn't throw a Bludger your way, because it would've knocked those teeth right out your mouth and you wouldn't be able to talk for weeks!"

"With the skills I saw you using out there in the field yesterday, I think I have nothing to worry about."

Sirius let out a loud laugh and slapped me on the back. Remus covered a smile with his hand, his eyes twinkling humorously. Peter snickered.

I cracked my knuckles, chuckling darkly as I shook my head. "James Potter, you have officially crossed the line. Prepare to meet your match!"

And as I made a move to 'hit' him, Sirius jumped me from behind. We both collapsed to the rug and as I struggled to get up, his fingers attacked my waist. I squealed and shrieked with laughter, kicking my feet as I struggled to get out of his grip.

"Stop…tickling…me!" I squealed, trying to push him off with no avail. My stomach was actually beginning to hurt.

"Help me out, mates!" Sirius said as I kicked him in the face. "I can't hold her down much longer!"

James jumped in without a moment's hesitation, making me squeal all the harder. Remus merely smiled and shook his head. After a moment or two, he finally got up, hopefully to save me from the torture. Peter was watching with wide, watery eyes as if we were making a highly explicit video.

"Quit torturing the poor girl." The voice was playful, and it sounded like the owner was grinning. It came from behind Sirius and James, and certainly didn't belong to Remus. When Remus turned, his posture turned rigid. "Do I have to go in there and save her myself?"

"Help me!" I said to whoever was out there, outstretching my hand. Whoever had spoken (obviously a guy) laughed.

"Well, well, if it isn't Prince Charming," Sirius said as he got off me. He was smiling, but it was a bit unsteady. His eyes flickered to Remus's.

"I believe that title goes to you, Black."

I sat up and looked up to see my savior. He was a handsome, rather dashing guy. His smile sparkled down at me. He extended a hand out, still smiling that dazzling smile, and I took it. He yanked me up. When I saw a glance of Remus, I was surprised at what I saw. His eyes were hard, his posture was stiff, and his hands were slightly balled up.

"These boys didn't hurt you, did they?" the handsome brunette asked me jokingly. I smirked and looked at them, folding my arms across my chest.

"No, but I certainly am willing to hurt them."

"Aw, c'mon love," Sirius cooed, placing his hands on my shoulders. "You should've told me how ticklish you were before I started."

"You woulda tickled me like hell anyway."

"Good point."

I laughed and elbowed him, shaking his hands off me. The brunette caught Remus's eye and frowned.

"Isn't there a Prefect meeting going on, Lupin? Cresswell kept on mumbling about how he was going to be late."

Remus didn't look the least bit affected. Rather, he looked even more defensive. "So what? Maybe it's over by now."

He looked at the silver watch on his wrist. "Actually, I think it just started. If you leave now you'll make it for most of the meeting."

Remus smiled a fixed, forced smile. "Gee, thanks, Stebbins, for your concern."

He grinned. "Not a problem, mate! And Alex," he added before I could tell Remus goodbye, "can I have a word with you?"

"Am I in trouble?" was my automatic response. I didn't realize how silly it sounded 'till I said it.

He laughed. "No, of course not! That is...unless you want to be." He winked. James covered his mouth and let out a little catcall, and elbowed Sirius. Sirius, however, did not look amused like I thought he would; he was staring intently at Remus. I swore Remus's eyes just flashed gold.

"I will be in trouble by the time I'm done beatin' your ass."

"I knew you always had a wilder side in bed, love," Sirius said before the brunette could answer. He must've been referring to me comment on 'beating' his ass. "Now that you've showed Moony last night, won't you show me tonight?"

"Man, shut up." I punched him. "If you're into that kinda stuff, you should ask Blondie to help you out. She already did more than enough with you last night."

His eyebrows shot up and his mouth dropped. Apparently this had caught him so off-guard that he actually didn't have a response.

"You shouldn't talk to Alex like that," frowned the brunette (Stebbins, did Remus say?) "I'm sure she has standards, you know. She's not a wh—err, she doesn't get around like McKinnnon does."

I burst out laughing at this. "I like you, dude!" I slapped Stebbins on the back. He beamed. Remus's face just grew darker.

"I'm going to the meeting," he growled and stomped on off.

"See yah later!" I shouted after him, but I wasn't sure if he heard or not; the portrait had closed behind him. "Is he alright?" I frowned, looking back at the others. Sirius and James looked at each other.

"We'll be right back," Sirius said as he tugged James toward the portrait door.

"Play nice, you two," James said with a wiggle of his finger, laughing. Peter scampered after them, and soon Stebbins and I were the only ones left in the Common Room.

"So," Stebbins said, "how're you feeling? All that drinking last night surely must've given you a hangover."

I raised an eyebrow. He knew that I'd drunk like crazy last night? "Oh? I felt sick in the morning, but I'm fine now."

"I guess your body's gotten used to it by now, huh?" he chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess it kinda has." A silence hung in the air between us. "Listen, if that's all you wanted to talk about—"

"No, that wasn't it, but hey, if you really need to get back to your boyfriend don't mind me—"

"Whoa. Whoa. _Boyfriend_?" I arched an eyebrow. "I don't have a boyfriend."

"Oh?" He sounded innocently surprised. "But I thought you and Lupin were…"

I shook my head. "We're just friends. Nothing more, nothing less." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Lily didn't give you that idea, did she? 'Cause I swear to God if she did—"

"No, she didn't," he chuckled with a shake of his head. "It was just an assumption that I made."

"And what made you come to such a silly conclusion?" I folded my arms.

"Oh, forget I said anything." He flourished his hand. When I looked like I very much couldn't forget about it, he smiled reassuringly and leaned in toward me. "Okay, fine. I'll let you in on my little secret: I ask girls if they have a boyfriend or not, see their reaction, and then decide whether or not to pursue said girl. You see, I don't wanna go after girls who already have love interests."

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that you're interested in me?"

His smile widened, and he leaned in even closer. "And if I am?"

"Then I ask you to play your next move." I leaned in toward him, daring him. I was curious to see what he was made of.

He smirked. "If you insist." Suddenly he took my hand and spun me around, catching me with one arm and showing me a bouquet of flowers that had appeared out of nowhere with his other hand. "Would you like to accompany me to Hogsmeade next weekend?"

I was momentarily speechless. A) because that was completely out of the blue and my mind had suddenly turned blank B) because I was technically unable to go to Hogsmeade since I'd never gotten my permission slip signed and had gotten detentions every Saturday with McGonagall so the boys were never able to sneak me in and C) because I was pretty sure this was his way of asking me out on a date.

"Your name's not really Prince Charming, is it?" were the first words that escaped my mouth. He chuckled and smiled charmingly.

"I'm more than willing to be your Prince Charming. Shall I get you a glass slipper?" he joked.

"No, dude, really. What's your name?"

He blinked at me. Then, laughing, he put me back on my feet.

"Well, I suppose that's understandable after all that booze you'd consumed last night." He stopped laughing and grinned. "I'm Josh Stebbins. I was the one that let you get your hands on the whiskey in the first place."

I tried to think back, but honestly could not remember anything about him. I really must've drank a lot if I couldn't remember a handsome face like that. "Then you're partly to blame for my lack of memory."

He laughed. "Yes, I am. I'll be able to make up for it next Saturday, I'm hoping?" He looked down at me hopefully, blue eyes shimmering. I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the rather girly giggle that escaped me. It was cute, the way he acted, and he asked me in a civilized (alright so it was a little romantic and kinda cute) gentleman-like way. How could I say no to that?

"Alright," I said, smiling a little as I put a hand on my hip. He broke out in a wide grin.

"I'll pick you up at five, then?"

"No, we'll meet up there." I knew that Sirius and James had 'their way', as they put it, to get into Hogsmeade. I would need their help to get in.

He smiled. "Alright. Honeydukes at six. Sound good?"

"Perfect."

His smile really was mesmerizing. It made his baby blue eyes light up even more. He leaned in towards me and murmured, "I'll see you then." It was sexy, to the say the least, to hear him say that in that ever so enticing voice. And I bet he knew it too.

"See you." I tapped him on the nose, which prompted him to crinkle his nose all cutely. He handed me the bouquet of flowers as I walked, and waved goodbye. I waved back like an idiot and stumbled on out of the Common Room. Once I was out, I took a deep breath.

"My, my, what are those flowers for?" a snobby, nosy female voice came from behind. I jolted and saw that the Fat Lady was speaking.

"They're for you to keep your nose out of other people's business," I snapped.

"They can't be from Mr. Black or Mr. Lupin since they just left...the only other left was..." She gasped dramatically, a hand flying to her over-sized chest. "You've gotten asked out by Mr. Stebbins!"

"What about it?" I huffed.

"Do you have any idea how lucky you are?" she cried out, completely indignant. "If I wasn't a painting, oh, the things I would do..."

"I don't think you're his type."

And I thus had the pleasure of running down five flights of stairs as a half-crazed painting chased me all the way down, jumping from painting to painting, throwing toiletries and instruments and all sorts of stuff at me as she cursed at me in such a vile manner that many Seventh Years gasped and covered the ears of any First Years that were closeby.

Who knew that fat paintings could run so fast?

* * *

><p><em>Err...hey there. XD How's it going? Good, I hope. It's been two months since I've been around! I missed you guys *sniffles* It might be another two months 'till you see me again. After this chapter, I have to buckle down and study for finals. Yippee...<br>_

_So, yes, Alex actually can cry. The girl's not made outta steel. She has feelings other than anger, yah know. Remus is such the sweetheart, isn't he? Gotta love him. I guess this chapter was a bit more on the serious side. Kinda? I dunno. But I do know that Alex has just gotten herself a date...that's not Remus. What'll happen when he finds out? Ooh. And remember, the full moon is only a day away...hence the little golden glint I gave his eyes. I thought, since it was almost his transformation time, I gotta give him some wolfy features when he's mad. I remember in the 7th HP book when Harry thought Remus really looked like a wolf when he was mad...so I guess Alex saw just a little bit of that today.  
><em>

_As for Stebbins? Let me tell you now that he's not exactly genuinely interested in Alex. He finds her intriguing. That's really it. He doesn't secretly love her or like her or any of that. It's just that after the other night's 'challenge' he got from Remus, he basically wants to the win the little 'game' they've got going on. It's just a little battle between Remus and Stebbins. Once Stebbins is challenged, he's the sorta guy that doesn't go down without a fight. He is a Gryffindor, after all. That's actually a pretty important part in this whole deal. He's bold, and isn't afraid to back down from a challenge. So that's his whole deal with Alex._

_I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will heat things up a bit. The battle for Alex's affection has commenced! Pick your move, boys! Oh, and Sirius, babe, you can just come with me, since you're not a part of any of this...*Giggles and runs off dragging Sirius along* See you guys! Thanks for reading!  
><em>


	15. Chapter 15

"…ex! Alex!" somebody was hissing at me. I gurgled something in response. I heard an irritated huff, but cared not for it, finding myself lose consciousness once more—

A sharp elbow in the ribs made me jolt upright. Irritated that my nap was cut short, I gave Dirk the dirtiest glare I could give him.

"What the hell was that for?" I snapped. He scowled.

"For sleeping in class," he replied in a matter-of-a-fact tone. I rolled my eyes and groaned.

"Cut me some slack for once, won't yah?" I growled and his eyebrows shot up. "I mean seriously! I already got my time cut with my detention from McGonagall, so I had to stay up late doing a shit ton of homework and then I had to study for my damn Charms test, yeah, _study_," I repeated with emphasis at the look he gave me, "and then I had to get up early for Quidditch practice this morning. I am seriously not in the mood for your shit right now."

"I'm not really in the mood for your shit either," he snapped, surprising me. "While you've been taking your lovely little nap, I had to deal with a few antics from your Slytherin pals. Might I add that they nearly caught your cloak on fire?"

Perhaps I was beginning to rub off on him.

"Oh." I didn't know what to say. He had a right to be pissed off; here I was, being ungrateful for the fact that he'd been helping me the entire time. Sheepishly, I smiled at him. "Thanks."

His face softened. "You're welcome. Just don't make this a regular occurrence."

"I can't really make any promises…" He raised an eyebrow at me, and I shrugged. "Even you have to admit that this isn't exactly the most exciting class." Professor Binns was the boringest, and I mean_ boringest _teacher that I had ever met. Which was seriously saying something.

"With you around, I'm not so sure." The corner of his lips twitched as if he was holding back a grin.

I glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" The tone in which he had spoken in didn't seem like it was a compliment.

He actually smirked a little.

Before I had to chance to ask him what the hell he was trying to say, a wad of paper fell down in front of me and onto my desk. I stared at it, puzzled, and picked it up. Dirk's eyes flickered in annoyance.

"I guess they see that you're awake now."

I snorted. "Then they should know that they're screwed." I unrolled the parchment and scanned what was on it.

'Tired from sleeping around?' was written in a messy, scrawny handwriting. There was a rather crude drawing, in which there were multiple stick figures, all of which bounced to life on the page. Only one of the stick figures was a girl, whom I assumed had to be myself. I never allowed the stick figures get down to what they were drawn for; I shredded the parchment to pieces, waved my wand, and sent them into flames.

Dirk's eyebrows rose in surprise as he watched the black fragments crackle and fizzle away.

"Idiots," I growled.

"Just ignore them," said Dirk in a half-sigh. "Not that I think you'll listen to me."

I pursed my lips at him and folded my arms across my chest defiantly. "I can be mature, yah know. I am older than all of you, after all. A silly little note isn't enough to make me—"

A wad of paper bonked me on the back of my head, and I heard quiet snickers from the back of the room. That was it.

I had the urge to go back and cussing them all out like I normally would, but even I knew that it really wasn't going to be worth the detention. So, I ripped out a piece of parchment from my notebook and began to write and draw rather vulgar things about Avery and Mulciber. As well as their mothers.

Dirk peeked over my shoulder to see what I was up to (always trouble, my dad liked to say) and he gave me an exasperated, yet amused look. "I don't think they're going to be very happy when they see that."

"Good," I huffed, "they should know by now not to mess with me."

"And shouldn't you know by now that you're just going to end up in a bigger mess than you would be in if you just ignored them?"

I ignored him, knowing that he was probably right, but not giving damn if he was. I moved my wand to float my balled up parchment back to the two. Dirk sighed and shook his head, but I swore there was a hint of a smile on his lips.

I didn't bother to be discreet; the jerks would've known it was me anyway. A few students watched my parchment shakily fly through the air. When it came close enough to Avery and Mulciber, both of whom were watching the parchment in contempt, I roughly flicked my wrist. The parchment hit Avery smack in the face. I snickered.

"Don't be so obvious," Dirk mumbled from beside me. "Professor Binns will see!"

I gave him a look. He pursed his lips and turned back to listen to the teacher lecture about God-knows-what. I looked back to watch the Slytherins' reactions, and it made me grin. Avery looked just downright furious, his nostrils flared and his teeth gritted. Mulciber simply looked dumbfound as his eyes continued to rove over the paper.

Smirking to myself, I turned back around and wasn't bothered again 'till the end of class. Hah! I knew that would shut them up! Damn idiots couldn't even think of a comeback.

It wasn't until the bell rang and I was packing my stuff away that I realized that they weren't quite finished with me. When I picked up my bag to stuff my books away, there was a huge ripping noise as all the seams simultaneously ripped. I swore loudly as I watched my bottle of ink splatter on the floor, and the rest of my materials slid around in it. Damn it!

"Son of a—" My head swirled around and I saw Avery and Mulciber's smirks as they exited the room. My hands balled up into fists and I felt my blood spike. Much to my own surprise, as well as my classmates', however, I didn't chase after them. Instead, I continued to curse underneath my breath as I made to gather my materials. As annoyed and irritated as I was, I knew that I had to tend to my materials first; those two could be dealt with later.

By the time all my materials were gathered, I discovered that only the covers of the books were dripping wet with black liquid; the insides and important parts were undamaged. Except my quill was completely black now, so it looked like a raven's feather now. Oh well.

As I made a move to swipe the ink off with my cloak, Dirk laughed a little. "Allow me." He held his wand over my books, and soon the ink was drying off as he moved his wand back and forth.

"Thanks," I said appreciatively as I gathered all my cleaned materials in my hands. Students for the next class were beginning to file in, and many of them looked at us curiously. Dirk's friends were waiting impatiently for him by the door. "We should get going. We wouldn't want you or your friends to be late for class." I smirked a little. He gave me a look but smiled despite himself.

Scooping up my useless bag, we exited the room and went our separate ways. Surprisingly, I made to Potions right on time. I walked past Avery and Mulciber's haughty smirks and settled myself down at the usual table. I frowned when I noticed that none of the boys were here yet.

"Nice bag, Piers," drawled Avery as he sauntered his way toward me. He rested his elbows casually on the table, and my eyes narrowed at them. "Where'd your mum get it? In a flea market? That's where all the whores buy their things, isn't it?" He smirked.

My eyes narrowed infinitely. I let out a long breath through my nose, trying to control myself. _Don't let the jackass get to you_. My fingers dug into the table. _Show him who's boss._ "No, she didn't, but if you insist that prostitutes buy their stuff at flea markets, then clearly that's where your dad met—oops, I mean _bought_—your mom." I smirked triumphantly as his face reddened from anger.

"How _dare_ you—"

"What are you gonna do, huh?" I snapped, leaning in toward him. "Go cry to your momma and poppa? Tell them that some half-blood's hurting your feelings and making you cry yourself to sleep every night?"

He was so angry that he was actually shaking. He looked like a damn Chihuahua.

"If you even knew how powerful my family truly is, if you even knew what _connections_ we have, you wouldn't have ever even _considered_—"

"No, I would've," I interrupted snappily. "I wouldn't give a damn if your family was the friggin' Mafia! If you piss me off, and you continue to piss me off, you will receive the consequences. It's as simple as that."

"And if _you_ continue to piss _me_ off, you'll see what kinda magic I'm truly capable of." We were face-to-face, nearly nose-to-nose. I could feel the heat and tension generating around us.

"That probably won't happen because you'll just chicken out from a duel like last time."

His eyes flashed dangerously, and I thought his hand twitched toward his pocket. "You—"

The bell rang loudly and the scampering of other students could be heard around us as chairs screeched and the chatter died down. Avery slowly took a step back, but his eyes never left mine. I stared right back at him, jaws set. It wasn't until Slughorn entered the classroom that Avery finally went back to his table. My eyes followed him as he took his seat, and, sensing that I was watching him, he narrowed his eyes at me. We had a silent staring stand-off (or sit-off, I supposed) as Slughorn babbled on and on about some potion.

It was the arrival of Sirius, Peter, and James that threw us off focus. Sirius and James strolled right on in as if they owned the damn place, Peter trailing behind them. I frowned when I realized that Remus wasn't with them. Was he sick again?

"And do you three have any explanation as to why you're late?" Slughorn questioned, sounding jokingly stern.

Sirius and James exchanged a look that said that something interesting or funny had happened along the way. Peter sneezed.

"I suppose we do, sir, but it's best for you not to know." Sirius's grin was both charming and mischievous.

Slughorn chortled and shook his head. "I suppose it would be best for all of us. Take your seats, boys, and turn to page 492. We're going to be making our Befuddlement Draught today."

"Hey," James greeted me as he and his buds sat down.

"Hey, whatsup?" I asked absentmindedly as I took out my Potions book. The nagging and irritating thought of Avery was beginning to draw away from me.

"The funniest thing happened while we were on our way over here. This one girl—"

"Where's Remus?" I interrupted unintentionally. I chopped up a few pieces of scurvy grass and threw it into my cauldron.

"Wow, you sound a little urgent." Sirius's smirk somehow implied that he knew something. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why? Do you miss him so much only after a day?"

I rolled my eyes, realizing what he was trying to say. First it was Lily, then Stebbins, and now Sirius? You had to be kidding me. "No," I replied snappier than I intended to, "I was just wondering. Is he sick again?"

"No," replied James, stirring up his cauldron. I frowned as I saw that his liquid was a soft pink; mine, on the other hand, was a murky brown. I dumped in a couple bat wings that I'd taken from Peter. "But his Aunt Jenna is. He'll be visiting her for the next week."

"You can do that?" I asked, sounding surprised. The boys laughed.

"Of course you can, if there's good reason," James said, sounding extremely amused. "This isn't exactly prison, you know."

"Well that's what I used to think it was," I grumbled, "and sometimes still think. I mean, what the hell are some of the rooms in the dungeons being used for? I swear, there's some form of torturing going around here, I just know it…"

"The only form of torture here is you," Sirius grinned. I glared at him and threw a scoop of armadillo bile at him. He laughed and ducked. It barely went over his luscious head of hair, and it landed with a loud squish onto the floor. Peter grimaced.

"I thought you were into torture," I teased, admittedly even flirting a little. Sirius duly took note that I was. He smirked at me as he threw ingredients into his cauldron.

"You got me, love. I guess you and I should schedule an appointment in one of the dungeons and see what really goes down there…"

I snickered as I realized his insinuation. "Since when do you schedule appointments regarding such things?"

He smirked. "Since it's _your_ dungeons."

James laughed and let out a catcall. Peter looked back and forth, confused.

"Good point," I mused, "it's far harder to gain access to mine than it is into Blondie's." I gave him a knowing look accompanied with a smirk. James laughed even harder, and Peter looked even more confused. Sirius, despite the fact that I'd just called his girl a hoe, simply rolled his eyes and gave James a look.

"Especially now that you two are back together," added James with a wide grin.

"We're not back together," frowned Sirius.

James raised an eyebrow. "She seemed to be under the impression that you were. She was talking to MacDonald and Lily about it nonstop."

He sighed. "Well, we're not back together…officially."

I raised an eyebrow. "Do you need to have 'back together' sex to make it official? 'Cause if that's the case I thought you had that a few nights ago. Or was that 'I'm sorry we broke up' sex?"

James roared with laughter and Peter chuckled a little uncertainly at first until he too was laughing hard.

"Shut up," Sirius grumbled, flinging a few of his ingredients at me. I snickered as I brushed the herbs out of my hair.

"You all look like you're enjoying yourselves," Slughorn said merrily as he hopped on over to our table.

"Of course we are, sir; this is Potions, after all," James replied with a grin. I rolled my eyes. Whatta suck-up.

Slughorn chortled, appreciating the compliment. He nodded. "Excellent point, Mr. Potter, excellent point! Your potion does look splendid," he added as he peered into his cauldron, "perfect, in fact! You did, by the way," he continued in a more hushed tone, "find my invitation letter?"

"Yes I did, sir. I'd be happy to attend."

"Splendid! You as well, Mr. Black?"

Sirius didn't look like he really wanted to answer. He continued to stir the potion in his pot. "I'll see if I can, Professor." James widened his eyes ever so slightly and sharply turned his head. I figured it was an indication for Sirius to accept the invitation and not leave him behind. Peter frowned and looked at Slughorn expectantly, probably expecting an invitation too.

"Let me know as soon as possible, ma boy!" he cried, patting Sirius on the back. He smiled and nodded. "It won't be as fun without you! But, maybe Mr. Potter will still have fun…Miss. Evans will be there too." He winked at James. I laughed to myself. Even Slughorn was trying to help hook the two up!

Upon hearing my laugh, everybody's attention went to me. Realizing that I probably seemed like a lunatic laughing at myself, I opened my mouth to say something when Slughorn interjected.

"Ah! Miss. Piers! I almost forgot!" he cried sharply, making me jump. He clasped his hands. "Where were you this morning? Not sleeping in again, are we?" He gave me an attempt at a teacher-ish 'you shouldn't do that' look, but he seemed far too happy and amused for the look to really work.

"No, I got up early for Quidditch practice." I never even had the chance to eat breakfast. I'd only eaten an apple that I'd swiped from Gudgeon.

"Ah, I see. Well, since you weren't here in the morning, I may as well ask you know before I forget: will you be spending Christmas break here or will you be going away for the holidays?"

I blinked. I'd never even thought about that. My parents and I'd never discussed what I would do over the holidays. We didn't even think about it. And my dad and I clearly didn't talk about it the other day…

I shrugged. I guessed that I was going to spend Christmas in this castle. It seemed like I didn't have much a choice; I obviously wasn't going to catch a plane back to America.

"I guess I'll be staying here."

"You're not going back to visit your family?"

"Guess not. I don't think my mom can afford it, anyway." Two airplane tickets, one to go back and one to return here, just for a lousy two week vacation was not an expense my mom could waste money on. My dad obviously had plenty of money for that kinda thing, but…he wouldn't be willing to do it.

Slughorn cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'll go get the sign-up sheet, then." He seemed rather eager to leave us. Apparently something on my expression had made the atmosphere around us awkward.

"Do you wanna spend Christmas at my place, Piers?"

I looked at James in surprise. "What?"

He looked at Peter and Sirius. "I mean, we Marauders always spend Christmas at my house. And since Lily still refuses to come, I guess it wouldn't be bad to have you come along." I pursed my lips slightly at the fact that I was simply a replacement, but at the same time I was extremely grateful that he was being so generous.

"You sure? Your parents will have another mouth to feed."

James laughed. "They won't mind. In fact, my mom might be happy to have a female around the house."

"I'm not so sure about that, mate," Sirius said. "Not _this_ female, anyway."

"Shut up," I grumbled, punching him lightly on the arm. He grinned at me.

"So what will it be?" James asked me as Slughorn returned with a clipboard in his hands.

I didn't have to take another moment to think about it; my answer was obvious. "Of course! That's be great James, thanks." I smiled at him, really meaning it. It would be wonderful to get the hell outta this school and have a refreshing air of the outside world.

"She'll be staying at my place for Christmas, sir," James said upon seeing Slughorn's confused face. Confusion was replaced by surprise.

"Oh? You've invited Miss. Evans, surely?" I raised an eyebrow. He seemed to be under the impression that I was starting to take Lily's spot in James's life. I nearly snorted. I didn't think any woman could ever take James Potter's heart like Lily Evans did.

"I have," admitted James, "but she'll be spending it with her family."

An awkward silence filled the air. Peter coughed.

"There's always next Christmas," said Sirius optimistically. James offered him a small, appreciative, yet somewhat embarrassed smile. "Lucky for you Remus is coming along too, eh?" he said to me with a wink. My eyebrows shot up so quickly and so high that my forehead actually hurt.

"Wha—"

"Oho! Ohohohoho!" chortled Slughorn, eyebrows raised as well. Something mischievous sparkled in his eyes. "I see!" He clapped his hands, seeming very excited. He made his way toward me, apparently to say something confidentially, but stopped short when he saw my potion. His expression was completely blank.

He cleared his throat. "Err…Miss. Piers…"

"Yeah?"

"Perhaps you've got the wrong page? It seems as if you've made…well…" He crinkled his nose as he peered further into my cauldron.

"One of my mother's stews," Sirius chirped. Both Slughorn and I stared into my murky, chunky, bubbling black…liquid.

"Now, Mr. Black, let's not be so critical of your mother's cooking; I'm sure it's wonderful…"

"Hey!" I said with furrowed eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Slughorn jumped a little when he realized what he'd said. "Ah! Err…well…you see, I simply meant…err…that clearly…" He trailed off, his mouth slack. He nervously tapped the tips of his fingers together rhythmically. Apparently he'd run out of ideas. I folded my arms across my chest and raised an eyebrow expectantly.

There was a sudden explosion from behind me. Slughorn jumped and let out a little "oh my!" before quickly and rather hastily making his way toward the mess. He seemed a bit too happy to leave.

The boys burst into laughter as soon as he left, and I glared at them all.

"It doesn't look very appetizing," Peter said as he peered into it. "It seems as if you've invented a new potion, Piers; one that'll finally kill people." James and Sirius roared with laughter. I glared at Peter. He grinned, seeming quite smug about the fact that, even though his potion wasn't the prettiest sight either, his wasn't the worst.

"At least it didn't explode," added James.

He spoke too soon.

Screams and shrieks suddenly filled the room, and Slughorn shouted, "Merlin's beard!"

I had a feeling today was going to be a very long day.

* * *

><p>"Is it just the two of us?" I asked Sirius as I made my way toward him. We had met up in front of the library. I had no idea why, but I doubted it had anything to do with reading or with research.<p>

He nodded. "Yeah. Prongs and Wormtail already left the usual way. It's much quicker, you know."

I frowned. "Why don't you use it, then? Can't you just go the regular way too?"

He smiled. "No, I can't. Now, c'mon, this way." I followed him as we walked down the corridor, took a right, and found ourselves in front of a huge mirror. "I look good, don't I?" grinned Sirius, ruffling up his hair. I rolled my eyes.

"We came all this way so you can check yourself out?"

"Of course not, love! I wanted to check you out too!"

I shoved him, unable to hide my amused smile. "What will Blondie say when she finds out?"

"Who says she'll find out?" He winked. He then stepped toward the mirror, took his wand out, and muttered, "_Dissendium_."

At first I noticed no change. I made my way toward Sirius, about to ask what the hell that was for, when he stepped through the mirror.

I blinked. I rubbed my eyes.

Sirius was gone.

My mouth dropped. I stepped a few cautious steps toward the mirror. What the…? How in the…?

I paused for a moment, considering the situation. Suddenly it felt as if a bulb had lit up in my head. This must've been like the nine and three-quarters platform! All I had to was step through the mirror!

Grinning, feeling rather accomplished of my discovery, I marched right up to the mirror and—

BANG!

Ow.

I grimaced as I put a hand to my face. Well. Apparently I didn't go through the mirror; instead, I was smacked face-first against it.

Cursing and grumbling underneath my breath, I placed my hands on my hips. How in the hell did Sirius just walk through this thing?

It was in that moment that I noticed something in my peripheral vision. I took a few steps to my left. There, in the corner of the mirror, was a faint line that cut across and around it, much like a door. It was hard to notice, and especially depended on which angle it was looked at.

I pushed at it, and it creaked open. Grinning widely, knowing that I'd got it this time, I stepped through it.

I found myself in a huge passageway, one that was lit by a single light. A single light that was floating in midair.

"Finally found it, Piers?" Sirius sounded highly amused. Footsteps approached me, and the light bobbed toward me. It must've been Sirius holding the light.

"You coulda given me a hint," I grumbled. "I thought you'd gone through the mirror at first."

"I had a feeling you would," he snickered. "I heard the thud."

"Shut up," I grumbled. His face finally came into view, and I saw that the tip of his wand was lit up. "So, this is the way to Hogsmeade?"

"One of the ways," confirmed Sirius. "There are seven altogether, but personally I like this one. It's roomy. Now, c'mon, let's get going."

His bobbing light started to go in the opposite direction. Taking out my wand from my back pocket, I whispered, "_Lumos_" and the tip of my wand lit up. I scampered after the light bobbing ahead of me. I glanced around. The passage was made entirely out of stone, as was the ground on which we walked on. It was a very castle-like passageway.

"So," I said, "you never got your permission slip signed either?"

There was a brief pause before he answered. "No. Not by my parents, anyway. I had Mrs. Potter sign it for me, but…McGonagall refused to accept it." I figured that the brief pause and the crinkling noise of clothes was a shrug. "Not that it matters much. My mates and I found out about this tunnel three years ago."

I wondered how they'd come across it, but I decided that it would be better for me not to know. "You don't get along with your parents either, huh?" I smiled a little, understanding.

He snorted loudly. "That's an understatement. I hate the damn pureblood lunatics. I'm ashamed to call myself part of their family."

I never realized what kind of relationship Sirius had with his parents. I knew that he didn't get along with his brother, and it had always appeared to be something deeper than the simple sibling love-hate relationship.

"That's why I threw it all behind." My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I ran away from home," he clarified.

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "For real?"

There was a hint of a smile in his voice. "Yes, 'for real'."

I knew he was making fun of my words, but I didn't really care. I was still taking in the fact that Sirius Black had run away from home. "Then…how…? How are you still in school? Where'd you go?" I realized the answers before he even spoke.

"I went to Prongs' place. I was always welcome at the Potter household. They knew what idiots my parents were and understood my situation. They took me in like a second son." He looked at me, and the light from his wand revealed his radiating smile. "They're all such great people."

I smiled back at him. "That's great, Sirius," I said, genuinely meaning it. "You took hold of your own life, not allowing your parents to have any control over what you do. That's pretty damn rad."

There was a short pause between us.

"What? And Alex Piers doesn't have a hold of her own life?" He sounded highly amused, and I bet he was either grinning or smirking. I knew exactly what he meant; I, such an outspoken person who wouldn't let anyone push me around, obviously wouldn't allow something like _parents_ hold me back.

"I do, but not entirely," I sighed. "Hell, that's the reason I'm here right now!"

He gave me a confused look.

"You know that my parents sent me here; I didn't come to Hogfarts voluntarily." I sighed again. "Even though I don't like to admit it, my parents do control a lot of my life."

"But why?" He sounded genuinely puzzled. "You're 17, aren't you? You're a legal adult!"

I shook my head. "Not in the lovely 'Muggle' world I ain't. We don't become adults 'till we're 18." I smirked slightly. "Which I'll be in two more months."

"Oh? When's your birthday?"

"February 24th," I replied happily. "And once that day comes, my parents and I will probably have nothing to do with each other." I paused, rethinking my statement. "At least not my dad."

"You get along with your mom?"

"Meh." I shrugged. "Better than my dad. We still argue _a lot_, but…we rely on each other a lot. I help her pay the bills, and she gives me a place to live. Nice trade-off, innit?"

He chuckled. "Sounds fair enough."

"It is." When I was younger, I needed my mom much more than she needed me, but as I grew older and was able to get a job, I began to think that she needed me more than I needed her. I wondered how she was holding up right now. "But, in the end, I guess it won't matter whether or not I turn 18; my mom will still have a say over me until I actually leave the house...God knows when that is."

Originally, I'd been planning to leave the house after senior year. But now that I was in Hogfarts and hadn't taken my senior year yet, I didn't know what the hell was going to happen. I felt a sudden jab of annoyance. My dad totally screwed up my entire schedule! All for his freakin' selfish wants, that mothaf—

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked, sensing my annoyance.

"I just realized that my dad screwed up my life."

He laughed. "What?"

I explained to him my predicament. He seemed confused.

"But aren't you coming back to Hogwarts next year?"

"Honestly, I have no idea." I thought about it. Was I going to stay in the wizarding world or would I return to the Muggle world? Argh. All this deep thinking was screwing with my mood.

Sirius seemed to sense my distress, and changed the topic to something much lighter. The tunnel narrowed as we continued along it, and we had to start crouching over. By the time we reached the end of it, we were arguing over whether or not black was a color.

"For the tenth time, it's a _shade_," he said. I stubbornly shook my head.

"No, I'm tellin' you, it's a—hey, is that a door?"

"Nice observational skills, Piers."

I rolled my eyes and lowered my wand, wondering if I would be able to spot a handle. I watched as Sirius got down on his knees and pulled at the bottom of the door. It swung up, and light burst forth. I squinted at the sudden change. Looking down at Sirius, he grinned at me as he jumped out the door. I followed suit and took in my surroundings as he closed the door behind him.

We appeared to be in some sort of wine cellar—it was filled with all sorts of drinks, ranging from whiskey to wine. I could hear faint noises above us.

I whistled as I looked at the assortment of drinks. "Is this where you Gryffindors got your booze last week?"

"That," he said, "is confidential."

I laughed. "Well, maybe I'll take a few bottles while I'm here..."

"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea, love," he said as he walked along the barrels and shelves. "You tend to get a little...out of hand when you're drunk. Well, more than usual, anyway."

I shoved him from behind and he laughed. "Yeah, and you tend to screw a few girls—well, more than usual, anyway."

"I don't see the problem."

I punched him as we walked up a small staircase. As we walked, the noise became chatter and laughter. When we reached the top, a door was waiting for us. Sirius drew out his arm for me to stop. He cracked open the door ever so slightly, and figuring that the coast was clear, he cracked it open enough for him to slip out. I followed suit.

I was assaulted by a sudden warmth that covered me from my head to the very tips of my toes. I took in my surroundings as I followed Sirius. It appeared to be a restaurant, perhaps a pub, I thought, as I noticed the bar. It was very crowded—a chair bumped into me as somebody made to get up. Every table was filled, mostly with students that laughed and clunked foamy mugs together.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"The Three Broomsticks," replied Sirius. "The best pub in Hogsmeade. It's nice, isn't it?"

I never had the chance to reply; somebody shouted at us. "Oi! Padfoot! Over here!"

We turned to see James grinning at us, holding a large mug in the air. Peter sat next to him, chugging down his drink.

"Just a second!" Sirius shouted back with a grin. "I need to get myself a drink first!" I heard James laugh.

Sirius went over to the bar, where a curvy, pretty blonde was filling up drinks. She appeared to be in her early twenties. "One butterbeer, please, Madam Rosmerta."

"I was wondering when you'd come in, Sirius Black," she replied in a teasing tone, without even looking up. When she did her eyebrows rose as her eyes roved over me. Then she smirked. "Ah. Now I see why."

"What? Oh. _Her_?" Sirius scoffed, jabbing a thumb in my direction. I raised an eyebrow. "She's just a friend. In fact, she's meeting up with her date soon. Aren't you, Piers?" he said rather pointedly. Even though I was a little annoyed at his rude behavior, I was more amused. Besides, since Sirius had helped me sneak into Hogsmeade, I figured that I shouldn't be so ungrateful about it and be angry about his behavior. In fact, I figured that I oughta help a brother out. But I doubted that even Sirius's charming ways could woo that pretty bartender.

A boy could dream, though, couldn't he?

I smirked slightly.

"You're right, I better get going." I glanced at the clock on the wall; it read 6:10. "In fact, I'm late. Thanks for the help with my Arithmancy homework, Sirius."

He raised his eyebrows slightly at me, finally redirecting his attention from Rosmerta to me. I offered him a sly look, letting him know that I knew what kinda game he was trying to get at with Rosmerta. He smirked back.

"Anytime, love. Have fun on your date. Be easy on the poor man; he's not used to handling girls like you."

I gave him a look and he laughed. Smiling and shaking my head, I turned and made way toward the exit. Just as I opened the door to step out, three shivering girls walked in.

"Oh," said one of them. I couldn't tell who it was because she was so bundled up behind a Gryffindor scarf. "Hello, Alex."

"Hey…whoever you are?"

Somebody snorted indignantly. I turned to see a mass of blonde hair unravel as Blondie took off her hat. "Do you need glasses?"

"No, but I need to buy a pair later; looking at you too long hurts my eyes."

The bright green eyes hidden underneath the Gryffindor scarf narrowed at me warningly. It was then that I realized that eyes like those could only belong to Lily.

There was a sigh from another girl, and I realized that it was Mary, the brunette, as she lowered her scarf. "Are you always trying to start something?"

I shrugged.

"Of course she is," snapped Blondie. "She's such an attention-seeker!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Says the one who throws herself at any guy she can get."

Lily finally took off her scarf and rolled it up into her cloak pocket. She took off her purple hat and gloves. She didn't allow Blondie to say anything, speaking instead. "Can we seriously just let up on the insults for once? We're out to have fun, not argue."

"Oi! Lily!"

I couldn't help a laugh at the sour and deadly expression Lily's face suddenly turned.

"That's my cue to go," I said happily, as Blondie squealed and bounced her way to Sirius. I saw Rosmerta smile and shake her head, and mutter something amusedly to herself.

"Don't you dare," snapped Lily suddenly, grasping onto my arm with a vice-like grip. I stopped and faced her with a raised eyebrow. "He's your friend," she jerked her head toward James, "call him off!"

I smirked widely, real amused at her reaction. "I'd love to, Lils"—She raised an eyebrow—"but you know as well as I do that nobody can stop James Potter from doing what he wants and getting what he wants." Her eyebrow rose higher as she realized what I meant. I was being such a great wingman today. "Besides, I gotta date to catch."

It shocked her enough to let go of my arm. Even though that was what I'd planned and hoped she would do, it still made me frown. Was it really _that_ surprising? Yeesh.

"With who?"

I merely smirked at her before swiftly exiting the inn. I heard James's triumphant cry of "Lily!" and I knew I was home-free. I snickered to myself about the way I'd left things, feeling thoroughly content and amused.

It was then that I realized the sudden temperature drop. I wrapped my coat closer to myself and veered off to the right. Snowflakes melted against my cheeks as I walked and took in the scenery around me. Hogsmeade was a cozy little village that looked as if it'd come right out of Christmas card. Little brick houses and shops were snuggled up against the soft and cold snow, as puffs of smoke that looked like clouds emitted from chimneys. Kids trudged through the snow, laughing and eating.

I stopped in front of a brightly lit store that read, in squiggly letters that looked like the color of honey, "Honeydukes". I didn't even notice the boy standing by the doorway until he called out to me.

"I thought you'd forgotten about me." I furrowed my eyebrows, but realized that it was Josh when he lowered the Gryffindor scarf.

"How could I forget about you?" I teased as I made my way toward him. I noticed that he was rubbing his gloved hands together to stay warm. I frowned. "Why didn't you wait inside?"

"It's so crowded in there I was worried that you wouldn't find me. And I figured I wouldn't wait too long..." He looked at me pointedly, but the smile he wore told me he was only joking; he wasn't actually mad.

"Sorry," I said, "it's my first time at Hogsmeade...it took longer than I thought it would to get here."

"That's alright," he said smoothly. "Thinking about you kept me warm." He smiled charmingly. I rolled my eyes and laughed.

"Well," he said, drawing himself up, "since this is your first time here, how about I give you a tour?" He offered me both his arm and a charming smile.

Although I rolled my eyes, I took two offers and returned one: I took the tour, his arm, and returned an amused yet mischievous smile.

"Lead the way."

* * *

><p><em>Hey guys! It feels like it's been much longer than 2 months since I last published. I missed writing these guys! But hey, heads up, I might be able to publish more often now that I finished one of my other stories.<em>

_So, Alex is actually kinda starting to mature and control her temper. She hasn't gotten in a fight with Avery yet (as in this chapter), even though he's pissed her off thoroughly enough. It's partly because of the fact that she would get expelled, partly because she wanted to prove to everybody that she could do this, and also partly because she's actually maturing a bit and learning to handle these situations better (with a little help from Remus).  
><em>

_I also delved deeper into the characters in this chapter. We see a little more of the playful Sirius Black that Alex hadn't known about before—about his crazy family, about him running away. She realizes that there's more to him than meets the eye ("And the eye does not go wanting", heh heh, POTC reference). And we learn a bit more about Alex, too, I suppose, about the relationship with her mother. We've known that Alex clearly doesn't get along with her father, but never knew as much about her mother. They often relied on each other, and since they did live together and spent time together, Alex respects her mother far more than she does her father. Their financial situation wasn't really great when Alex left—her mom was also relying on Alex's income to pay for the bills. They live on the eastern, more ghetto side of Brooklyn. That also contributes to Alex's violence and personality.  
><em>

_As for Remus? He'll be coming in next chapter, no worries! Things might turn up a notch and get a little interesting..._


	16. Chapter 16

_Hey guys! Yes, I am back, still alive and well! I actually had to fix many parts of this chapter, because, since I hadn't written this in so long, my own OC was OOC. Weird, huh? O.O  
><em>

_Oh, and just out of curiosity, I was wondering if anybody would prefer it if I started to name my chapters. I'm not really so sure about the idea myself, because usually there are so many events in one chapter, but thought maybe it might help to tell what happened in what chapter. Feedback on this idea would be great! Thank you!_

* * *

><p>"ARGH!"<p>

"Hurry, get it before it—"

"I'm _trying_, but the thing's so damn slippery—"

"You're gonna—"

"Hey! Come back here! HEY! I paid for you!"

I chased after the chocolate frog, earning myself a number of looks. I heard Stebbins call after me with a laugh, but I ignored him, my eyes narrowed on the chocolate that kept hopping like there was no tomorrow. It was easy to see, at least, for the frog was a blob of brown in all the white of the snow. Grinning as I closed in, I flung myself toward it, landing on my stomach.

"I gotcha, yah squirmy little son of a—eh?" I looked around, but found no frog. Worried that I'd smashed it when I fell, I quickly sat up and looked down at myself. I sighed in relief as I saw that only powdery snow had clung to my jacket, and then I scowled as I realized that the frog was nowhere to be seen. That was when I saw a pair of brown little legs squirming from underneath a pile of snow. Grinning widely, I crept toward it, and snatched it instantly.

I held the chocolate frog in my hand triumphantly. My triumphant win didn't feel like one, however, as I realized that the thing was covered in snow and was starting to get solid as a rock. Damn.

"Alex?"

I looked up to see Stebbins looking down at me, a smile itching away at his lips as if he was holding back a laugh. I scowled up at him.

"Look." I raised the frog toward him. "I can't eat it anymore."

"I'm sorry, love," he said sympathetically, speaking to me softly as if I was a crying child, "would you like me to get me a new one?" His lips twitched; he was holding back a smile.

"No thanks," I sighed in defeat. "I'm sick of chasing after my food."

He chuckled. I dropped the chocolate frog back into the snow, still pouting slightly.

"Aw, don't look so sad," he cooed, "you're breaking my heart. Though I must say, it's adorable." He smiled down at me.

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help an amused smile. "Such the charmer, aren't you?"

"I can't help myself around such a pretty girl."

"Yet it seems like you can't help this pretty girl up."

He laughed and offered me his hand. "Sorry. Your smile distracted me."

I rolled my eyes again and grasped onto his hand. He pulled me up, but kept our hands entwined.

"Aren't your hands cold?" He examined the hand he still held. He gestured for me to give him my other hand, and I obliged. I laughed as he started to rub them between his own gloved hands. "Bloody hell, Alex, the only thing you're wearing is that damn coat! You're gonna get sick out here!"

I giggled, finding his concern a little cute. "Thanks for your concern, babe, but I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? We can go buy a hat or something if you'd like."

"No, really, I'm fine. I've survived much colder than this."

"Oh?" he said, continuing to rub my hands. It was actually starting to warm me up a little. "Was it cold where you lived?"

"Uh-huh. I've been outside when it was below zero plenty of times."

He stopped rubbing my hands, and let his mouth fall agape. I laughed; his expression was priceless. "Were you out of your bloody mind? It's amazing you haven't frozen to death yet!"

I shrugged and smiled. "I'm just used to the cold, I guess. In fact, winter is my favorite season."

Now he was really looking at me like I was a crazy person. "Americans," he sighed with a shake of his head.

"Brits," I sighed, and shook my head too. We made eye contact and burst out laughing.

"Well, my crazy American friend," he said as he casually flung an arm around my shoulder, "how about I get you a warm glass of butter beer, and we head on back to the castle?"

"Already?" I frowned like a child that had been told that recess was over. He laughed.

"Yes, unfortunately, I have to get you back before it gets too dark. I don't know what these crazy guys will try to do with you."

"And how should I know that _you're_ not going to do anything to me?" I challenged, trying to hold back a smirk.

He gasped, looking mildly offended. We began to trudge through the snow. "How could you ask such a thing? I thought we were friends!"

"Why would I wanna be friends with such a loser?" I teased.

"You're right, you wouldn't want to be friends with me," he said, rather seriously. I raised my eyebrows, wondering if he had taken my words literally. And that was when he smirked. "You want to be more than just friends."

I laughed and shoved him off. "In your dreams, lover boy."

"Dreams can become reality," he continued confidently. I raised an eyebrow and laughed, shaking my head.

"If that was the case, I would've had ten of Clint Eastwood's babies by now."

He cocked his head, smiling slightly in confusion, eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

I sighed and shook my head. "You British wizards really need to get cultured."

He raised an eyebrow. "Should you really be talking?"

I gaped at him, and he laughed. Scowling, I punched him on the arm. He cried out and clutched at his arm despairingly. I rolled my eyes but giggled at his little act.

"Just get me my damn butter beer, man."

* * *

><p>"So this Clint Eastwood guy," Stebbins said, sucking on a lollipop that changed flavors every few licks, "is he better looking than me?" We walked through the empty hallway, illuminated by a few torches hanging up on the wall. It was late, I knew, though I wasn't sure quite how late; just that it was late enough for most students to be back in their Common Rooms.<p>

I didn't care, though, because Hogsmeade had been fun. Although we hadn't had time to visit all of the shops, I felt like I got the general atmosphere of the village. Honeydukes had been a candy wonderland, butter beer was an amazing drink that really made me warm from my head to my toes, and the Post Office really was filled with all owls. Stebbins had told me that next time we would go to some tea shop, even though I told him that I hated tea. He still insisted, so I told him maybe, _maybe_, next time (the maybe leaning more towards the idea that 'maybe' we would go on another date).

"Aren't most guys?" I teased. He pursed his lips.

"That's not true," he grumbled with a cute little pout, "and not very nice."

I giggled. The boy could look damn cute when he wanted to. "Aw, did I hurt your feelings?" I cooed.

"Yes, you did," he said with a frown. Then his lips curved upward. "But I know how you could make it up to me."

I could already tell where this was going, but I played along. "Oh? How?" I tried not to smile.

He stopped walking, and pulled me back to him so that we faced each other. He pulled me in real close, dangerously close, and fastened his bright blue eyes on me. The boy was playing a very dangerous game, and he knew it. "By going on another date with me."

I pretended to consider it, tapping a finger against my chin. I drew away from him. "I dunno, man, if it's gonna be like the one we had today…I don't think so."

"It couldn't have been _that_ bad!"

"Oh, but it was."

He pursed his lips and I held back a laugh. "Well, then, if that's the case…is there anyway I can…" He stepped toward me, his voice suddenly taking on a dangerous and sultry tone. "_Persuade_ you?" He rolled the word 'persuade' out like honey. It made me a little suspicious as to exactly how many girls he'd sweet talked.

"I dunno," I said, folding my arms across my chest. "Actually, I'm pretty damn sure you can't."

"Oh?" He raised an eloquent eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Didn't I just say that I was pretty damn sure?"

He smirked. "We'll see about that." He closed the distance between us and just as he reached a hand out toward me, a voice from behind him said,

"Alex?"

I recognized that voice.

Tearing myself away from Stebbins, I stepped out his way so that I would be able to see who stood behind him. Just as I expected, Remus Lupin stood there, though his expression was not one that I was anticipating. He had a shocked, maybe even a little angry, expression. It almost seemed to read 'so it's true'. Stebbins twirled around to see who had interrupted his glorious moment (well, I was sure that was what he thought it to be), and narrowed his eyes at Remus.

"Am I interrupting something?" Remus asked coolly, tucking a large sheet of parchment away into this pocket. His eyes never left Stebbins's. Stebbins never had the chance to the respond as I let out a squeal of, "Remus!"

I surprised both of them as I ran up to Remus and damn near tackled him to the ground as I embraced him in a bear hug. I felt and heard Remus begin to laugh as he returned the embrace. I noted that he felt rather scrawny and fragile.

"Hey!" I said as I released him, holding on to his shoulders. "How've you been?" He was paler than usual, a sick, ghostly pale. I wondered if he'd gotten sick while he'd been visiting his aunt...perhaps gotten her sickness?

He smiled, and I instantly found myself smiling back. I missed his smile. "I've been fine, thanks. How about yourself?"

I shrugged. "Same old same old. Though I must say it's been a rather…tiring week without you." Yes, tiring would've been the best way to put it. Without having Remus reign the boys in (or myself), they (okay, and maybe me too) have been out of control. Honestly, it could be a bit exhausting to keep up with Sirius and James. And not to mention that they could get really damn annoying really damn fast. I wasn't sure how many times I've snapped at them this week.

Remus laughed, apparently understanding. "Glad to see that I was missed," he teased.

"Hey, Lupin," Stebbins said as he finally sauntered his way over to us. He was smiling. "What's happening, mate?"

"Stebbins," Remus greeted with a nod. The nod was rather stiff, and the smile he wore was tight. "How's it going?"

"Great, actually," he grinned back. He casually draped an arm around me. "What could be better than spending a date with such a beautiful girl?"

I rolled my eyes. Remus stiffened considerably, and thought I saw his fingers twitch toward his pocket. He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. I frowned.

"I guess there isn't anything better than that," he agreed, relaxing, and speaking more genuinely and softly than I thought he would. I wondered if he had meant that as a bit of a flirtatious comment on my behalf. Stebbins raised his eyebrows, momentarily surprised, but immediately regained his composure. He laughed.

"Right? Lupin knows best," he said to me, "he's had his fair share of beautiful companions, haven't you, Lupin?" He turned back to look at him. Remus initially looked surprised, but then his expression became a dangerous glower. I thought I saw his eyes gleam gold. I wondered if it was because of the light.

"I knew you had a way with the ladies," I teased Remus with a smirk. I recalled a conversation we once had about how the attention-seeking duo often had more ways with the ladies than Remus, but apparently that was not the case. Remus never had the chance to reply, as Stebbins continued,

"Though I gotta say, I lucked out on this one." He nudged me a little, and I rolled my eyes, though I couldn't suppress an amused chuckle.

"I can't quite say the same for you."

"Hey!"

I giggled and squealed in displeasure as he mussed up my hair. I swatted at his hands, scowling at him. He laughed. Remus watched us banter with a strained expression.

"Anyways, Lupin, it was great catching up with you," Stebbins said, still laughing a little, ducking my hand as I tried to mess up his hair too, "but I gotta get Alex back to her Common Room before it gets too late." He paused, and then turned to me. "That is, unless, you wanna spend the night in the Gryffindor Common Room." He winked suggestively.

"Oh yeah, of course!" I said brightly, shocking both boys, enough that Remus actually gaped. I tried my best not to smile and laugh. "Let's go." Stebbins, still shocked, looked as if he were to move, but I suddenly stepped toward Remus. I took a hold of his arm and began to walk off, dragging him with me. It took both boys a moment to register what had just happened, and once they did, they burst out laughing. I immediately joined in, and our laughter filled up the hall.

Stebbins shook an index finger at me, shaking his head and chuckling. "You got me, Piers, you got me."

"Oh, as if it was the first time," I teased. Remus laughed.

"Ah, shut up."

"See? You don't even have anything else to say."

"Did I not just tell you to shut up?"

"Tell me to shut up one more time and I'll—"

"You'll what?" he challenged.

"If you didn't interrupt me you woulda figured out by now—"

"As if you would've actually followed through with your threat—"

"Now you're really pushing it, bud! Prepare to—"

"Okay, you two, that's enough," Remus admonished like a mother would her children. We paused in our tussle; I had a fistful of Stebbins's jacket, and he had a hold of a good chunk of my hair. "You better give it a rest before you get hurt, Stebbins." He sent a meaningful look toward Stebbins, unable to hold back an amused smile. Stebbins scowled at him, releasing his grip on me.

"What the hell, mate? We Gryffindors have to stick together—especially in the likes of _Slytherins_." He gestured to me with an air of disgust. I glared at him. Remus snickered.

"If it was anybody else, mate, I would've stood up for you. But to Alex? I don't think so."

I laughed. "I see you Gryffindors and your loyalty crap isn't what it's made out to be."

"Can't quite say the same for you Slytherins and your nasty attitudes," Stebbins countered.

"Now listen here, pal, if you wanna start a fight let's just get going because I have been aching for a good—"

"As amusing as this is to watch," Remus interrupted, just as Stebbins was on the verge of cussing me out, "it's late. And I really don't wanna clean up after Alex's mess." I smirked, realizing what he was implying; that after beating up Stebbins, he would have to clean up the lovely blood and leftovers. Stebbins frowned, also realizing what Remus was saying. "We need to head back to our Common Rooms. You coming, Stebbins?"

"You really think that I'm going to go with you after you just back stabbed me?" he joked. "I'll catch up with you later, though. I have to escort Alex back to her Common Room first."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You are?"

"Of course!" He sounded surprised at my skeptical response. "What sort of a gentleman would I be if I just let my date return home on her own?"

I rolled my eyes but giggled. It was cute and charming, I had to admit, that he'd already been planning on walking me back. Remus frowned deeply at me.

"You'd get a detention, that's certain," Remus chimed in. "It'll be after curfew by the time you get back."

He shrugged. "So be it." He looked at me, a wide smiling stretching across his lips. "It'd be worth it."

Damn, I had to say, this boy was good. He was playing all his cards right. I was sure that many girls swooned over him and just fell right into his arms. I, however, was not one to be swayed easily by sweet talk. If that was the case, Sirius and I would have—

Euh. I shouldn't have thought of that.

"I guess you should get going, though, huh?" Stebbins said to Remus. He gave me a backwards smirk, obviously pleased at my momentary speechlessness. I almost laughed. If he thought he already had me hooked, he was wrong, very, very wrong. "I don't want you to get in trouble because you'd been too busy talking to us."

""You know, I _am_ a Prefect," Remus pointed out. "I'm allowed to stay up after curfew."

"Not if it's just to wander around." Remus frowned. "Besides, mate, you look tired. You oughta catch up on some rest."

He was right about that. Remus really _did _look tired. His eyes were slightly red, and there were bags underneath his usually bright eyes.

"He's right," I agreed before Remus could interject, "you need your sleep, babe."

He looked as if he wanted to say something, but then thought against it. He sighed in defeat. "Fine, but only because you insist." His eyes flickered to Stebbins for a second before returning to me. Stebbins smirked slightly.

"You'll thank me later," I said. He looked at me skeptically, and then chuckled. "'Night, Remus. Sweet dreams."

He smiled. "Then maybe I'll dream about you."

Suddenly, God knows why, I was reminded of that dream, a few months ago, that I'd had about Remus. Though I only recalled parts of it, I was certain of one thing: Remus had been about to kiss me in the dream. I felt my cheeks warm as I suddenly remembered it, and I was sure both boys thought I was blushing at Remus's flirtatious comment.

Thankfully Stebbins didn't comment on it. He spoke to Remus. "If you wanted a sweet dream, Lupin, it's not Alex you need to dream about; we all know she's no angel." My blushed dissipated as I glared at him. He snickered. "Maybe you should dream about that Hufflepuff instead. You know, the one who's been ogling at you since the Third Year?"

"What about that Ravenclaw, Stebbins?" Remus countered. "You know, the one you were found in the broom closet with during class, when Filch walked in on you two?"

I raised an eyebrow at Stebbins. He bristled, clearly displeased as being displayed as a man whore.

"What about her?" he growled.

"Well I just thought that maybe you'd enjoy a dream about her—oh wait, she's not exactly the sweetest thing either. A bit stuck up, if I recall correctly." I raised my eyebrows, surprised at Remus's bluntness. "What about that Seventh Year Gryffin—oh, never mind, she wasn't very nice either. Ah, yes, I know that cute little Hufflepuff you—"

"What about Florence?" Stebbins shot back. "I don't think her boyfriend would be happy to know what happened between you two that summer—"

"And Rachel! Remember her? Of course you do! Now her I liked. You two were good together, don't know why you broke it off—"

"—surprised administration didn't find out about that night—"

"—oh yeah, it's 'cause of that other girl you were with! What was her name? Damn, can't remember—"

"And—"

"So—"

That was it. I've had enough. Though I wasn't quite sure why the hell they were suddenly arguing over past girlfriends and whatnot, all I knew was that it was pointless and annoying.

"Will you two just shut the hell up?" I snapped. "Why the hell are you even arguing about this in the first place?"

They silenced, and turned to face me. Then he looked back at each other, then back at me once more.

"I...don't really know," Remus admitted sheepishly.

"I guess we got carried away?" Stebbins offered with a smile and a shrug.

I rolled my eyes. 'Carried away' would be an understatement. "Whatever. You two keep arguing for all I care; I'm going to sleep."

I turned around and walked off in the direction of the dungeons.

"Wait!" Stebbins shouted after me. I heard his footsteps and a pair of others chase after me. "I need to escort you—!"

"I'm not a baby," I growled, finding his usually charming ways just irritating, "I know my way back."

"But I thought—"

I twirled around to face him. "Well you thought wrong! Now screw off and go to bed!" I'd already run out of patience from their stupid ass banter, and bothering me further was never the best idea.

Stebbins silenced immediately, looking surprised. Remus, however, looked rather amused; he was smirking slightly.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Alex," Remus said, a little too happily considering that I currently wasn't in the best mood, "Good night." I swore he nearly skipped on off. I sighed deeply and shook my head, wondering what the hell caused his change in demeanor. Maybe he really still was sick. I too began to walk off again. Once more, Stebbins called out to me. This time I didn't stop.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked as he managed to keep up to my pace. I rolled my eyes.

"No," I answered honestly, "just annoyed." I paused. "And you know, it's _really_ not helping when you keep talking to me."

"Sorry," he smiled. He took my arm gently and stopped me. I sighed and folded my arms, raising my eyebrows expectantly.

"You can't be mad at me forever," he said softly. I thought about how much his eyes differed from Remus's as I stared into them. Remus's were more of a liquid that I felt like I could drown myself in; Stebbins's, however blue and pretty they were, were harder, more ice-like.

"Watch me," I growled. That wasn't what I'd been wishing to hear. Again, his usual charming ways were useless in this situation. He was silent for a moment, watching me sweep past him.

"I'm sorry." I paused in my stride. "I hope that didn't ruin everything we shared today."

I glanced at him over my shoulder. "It didn't." He brightened. "It was already ruined to begin with."

He chuckled and shook his head as I left him there, leaving him to wonder if I was joking or not.

* * *

><p><em>So. *Cracks fingers* Chapter review. This was obviously more Stebbins-centered, and we're starting to see how these two get along. Quite well, really, except maybe the end left things a little rocky between them. However you want to interpret that. And we finally got some Remus-Stebbins rivalry action going on! Whoop! So the entire deal with them talking about past girls and whatnot is that they're basically trying to make the other look like a manwhore so that Alex would not find him so appealing. But it ends up kinda shooting back at them because she just gets so fed up with their arguing. And she really had no idea they were arguing in an attempt for her to favor one over the other. <em>

_The reason why Remus is so randomly happy at the end is because his mindset is basically: Yes! Alex is mad at him! There's no way they're going to get any closer now! Also, there is a reason why Remus had a 'so it's true' look on his face when he first saw them. But that will be explained later. :) It's not too important, though, so don't worry about it. Well, I guess...hmm..*Shrugs.* Nah, you'll be fine._

_Ah, and don't forget, Alex got so excited to see Remus that she basically glomped him—it's only been a week since they last saw each other! I think that's kinda sayin' somethin'~~_

_Whew. I wonder how many readers I still have out there. O.O I mean, it has been 3 months...don't blame yah if some of you moved on. But I hope you enjoyed this chapter nonetheless. Oh, and you might keep hearing a lot about Clint Eastwood XD Alex is a huge fan, as mentioned in another chapter. Hey, he was a pretty damn good-lookin' cowboy in the '60's and '70's!_

_Happy Halloween! Hope you guys get as much candy as you possibly can! I know I'm bringing two bags! :DD_


	17. Chapter 17

Everything was so white. It was almost blinding. Kids bounced around in the snowy grounds, laughing and chatting. I smiled a little to myself as one of the kids, a little First Year, fell down on his rear end as he slipped on ice. His friends roared out in laughter as he struggled to stand up. I giggled a little as he fell back down.

"Alex!" a stern voice came across from me. Sighing quietly, I shifted my attention from the window to Dirk. He was staring at me sternly, a slight scowl on his features. "You need to focus."

I sighed again, much louder. "But Dirk," I whined, "how do you expect me to focus when everybody else is having fun outside?"

"Because if you don't, you'll flunk the test."

I pursed my lips. We were one of the few kids in the library. Not many kids were studying, and I didn't blame them one bit; Christmas break was in two days. And, of course, our idiot of a teacher had to give us a test the day before break. Who did that?

"Screw the test," I growled. "I'd fail it even if I do study."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's highly unlikely. You're far more likely to do better if you study even a little. Now, c'mon." He straightened his posture and bent over the humongous book placed on the table. "When did the Goblin Revolution begin?"

"When Dumbledore was born," I muttered. Dirk sighed irritably and looked up from the book.

"Alex." He sounded exhausted and weary.

"Dirk."

"You realize that this test is a huge part of our grade? What if you fail this test and end up failing the class?"

I was silent, scowling at his reasoning.

"And what would Professor Dumbledore think of me if I don't do a proper job tutoring you?"

I smiled a little. He was joking; he knew that Dumbledore wouldn't think any less of him. "He'd probably be ashamed of you and never speak to you again."

"Exactly! So, c'mon, at least for my sake, won't you at least try?" He looked at me desperately.

I sighed in resignation and shifted in my chair so that I sat upright. "Fine. Just for you."

He grinned widely. "Great! Now, where were we?"

And so we discussed the Goblin Revolution, the causes and effects of it, and on we went throughout the other centuries of wizard history.

* * *

><p>The platform was bustling with middle-aged wizards and witches. There were shouts of joy and excitement as parents embraced their children. The air was slightly gray and foggy from the smoke caused by the train.<p>

"You ready?" Remus said from behind me. I adjusted the bag on my shoulder.

"Why shouldn't I be?" I looked at him over my shoulder, offering him a half-smile. He smiled back. We exited the compartment that only the two of us had shared the entire ride.

Originally, it had been the four boys and me (we couldn't persuade Lily, no matter what we tried), when Marlene had decided to squeeze in. We all fit, of course, but that wasn't the problem. She had tried to start something with me, once again. It had been a while since we last argued, but she was still as bitchy as ever. Not wanting to be around her presence, and since Sirius hadn't told her to screw off, I'd decided to leave the compartment in a huff. Remus had followed after me, assuring me that I wouldn't have stay alone.

He really was such a sweetheart.

...Unlike Sirius. I was still a little mad at him for not standing up for me and allowing Marlene to stay instead.

I followed the line of kids heading toward the exit, and the railcar was filled with the noise of excited students chattering. I stared out the window thoughtfully. It was strange to know that I was finally out of Hogwarts. I thought I'd be more excited than I felt right now; I'd been so eager to leave as soon as I'd arrived, after all. But I supposed that I'd gotten used to the school. It really wasn't that bad at all, once I got used to it.

I wasn't able to finish my thoughts when somebody knocked right into me, sending me flying against a window. A shot of pain exploded in my shoulder and head.

"Oops," came a snobby voice to my left. I looked up to see Bertram Aubrey looking down at me smugly. My eyes narrowed into slits.

"What the hell was that for?" I growled, straightening up. A few kids in front of us turned our way, looking curious and nervous.

Bertram shrugged. "It was an accident." I noticed his group of Slytherin buddies snickering behind him. I knew that I could've rolled my eyes and went along with the entire 'accident' scheme, but I'd been patient enough today. I'd barely kept my cool with Marlene and Sirius, and now this was just pushing it. So I snapped at him,

"I guess that's what your mother said when she found out she was pregnant."

It fell deathly silent around us. It was clear that I'd pissed him off; the veins in his neck were taut, and his hands were curled up into fists. His Slytherin buddies appeared to be covering smiles behind their hands. The kids that had been walking toward the exit were now either running off or silently staying behind to watch. The line behind us had initially grumbled in annoyance at the sudden delay, but those who could see us silenced and relayed the news back to the others. It appeared like our argument had stopped the entire railcar.

I could tell that I'd upset Remus. Well, more like annoyed. He seemed ready to roll his eyes and slap his hand against his face any moment.

Bertram finally appeared to regain his composure. He forced a cool smile.

"I wish I could say the same for your mum, Piers. She screwed so many guys that it wasn't a surprise when she found out she was pregnant with you."

Instantly I had a strong urge to pounce at him and beat the shit out of him. It took every fiber of my being to stop myself from doing just that.

My nostrils flared and my blood boiled as his buddies roared with laughter. Bertram himself was smirking smugly down at me. My hands curled up into fists, and I clenched my teeth so tightly that my jaw hurt.

_He's not worth getting kicked out...he's not worth getting kicked out..._

My fist twitched, itching to swipe that smirk off Bertram's face.

"C'mon, Alex," Remus said softly, nudging me. When I stood where I was, defiantly staring straight into Bertram's eyes, he nudged me harder. It was enough for me to uncurl my fists, the blood pounding in my head simmering ever so slightly. I finally and slowly moved, though I kept my eyes fixed on Bertram's unflinchingly. Remus led me along, keeping his hand against my back and gently pushing me forward.

"What?" Bertram said in amazement, half-mockingly, half-not. "You're not even gonna stand up for your mum? Not even one little comment? Don't tell me that Lupin's softened you, Piers!"

"Don't even waste your breath on him," Remus said to me lowly, placing a firm grip on my arm to stop me from turning around. "He's just trying to provoke you."

"Well he's doing a damn good job," I growled to him.

"Don't let him. You're better than that."

I looked at him, surprised.

"Well," came Bertram's loud voice from behind us, "at least Lupin knows how to control his bitch."

Remus's cool and calm exterior was gone in an instant, being replaced by a flash of anger and rage. Simultaneously, my self-restraint snapped in two, and I started back toward Bertram immediately.

"That's it!" I growled, rolling up my sleeves and flexing my hands into fists. My heart began to quicken as my adrenaline kicked in. The blood in my head pulsated. "Once I'm through with you, you're gonna be _my_ bitch!"

But I never got the chance to do that; Remus beat me to it.

He flew passed me and flung Bertram against the glass door of a compartment. Kids screamed as glass shattered. Bertram's Slytherin buddies backed off, looking surprised and frightened, and only one of them had the nerves to draw his wand. He never had a chance to chant a spell, however, because I smacked the wand out his hand.

Remus pressed his wand against Bertram's throat. Bertram lowered his eyes to him, trying to look like he wasn't scared, but I saw the fear in his eyes. Although Remus's back was to me, I could imagine the rage in his eyes as he spoke, his voice shaking slightly,

"If I ever, and I mean _ever_, hear you talk about Alex like that again, I'm gonna hex you so badly that you're gonna end up living at St. Mungo's for the rest of your miserable life. You understand me?"

Bertram said nothing, looking up at the ceiling instead. Remus released him a moment later, his face one of utter contempt. When he turned to face me he relaxed slightly, but I still saw the rage in his eyes.

"C'mon, Alex," he said softly, reaching an arm out for him. I walked into his embrace, wrapping an arm around his waist as he wrapped one around my shoulder, and the two of us began to walk off. Sure that Remus had scared Bertram into submission, I paid no mind to whatever was going on behind me. Remus, however, knew better than me. 'Cause next thing I knew, I was out of his warm arms and into the arms of a scared Fourth Year.

"_Finite!_" he shouted, raising his wand at the streak of white that had been heading toward him—and undoubtedly me. The hex backfired to Bertram, whose eyes widened as he was hit in the chest by the spell, and flew backwards. I gaped. "And next time I'll hex your bloody balls off!" Remus shouted threateningly, stowing his wand back away in his pocket. He looked at me expectantly, and I hurriedly made my way to him.

Kids backed out of our way as we passed (many of them were gawking) and we were just heading toward the exit when...

"What's all the commotion in here?" a gruff voice of a man came from the other end of the railcar. I was sure that every head turned toward us. "You two," the conductor snapped, no doubt speaking to Remus and me, "come here."

"Shite," Remus breathed.

"Aw hell no," I said, shaking my head. "I ain't getting turned in when it's already freakin' break." I grasped onto his hand, and he looked at me with wide, alarmed eyes.

"Alex," he hissed as the conductor's footsteps headed our way, "what're you doing?" I could tell he was really starting to worry.

"You trust me?" I looked straight into his liquid eyes.

"Yes, of course...but whenever people ask me that, it usually means trouble."

I grinned widely. "That's because it usually does."

And I made a mad dash for the open exit, dragging Remus along with him. The conductor shouted something at us, and I heard his footsteps quicken after us. I jumped onto the platform, Remus landing beside me a moment later, and ignored the questioning and confused looks parents gave us.

"Stop!" the conductor shouted after us. I pushed my way into the crowd, zigzagging my way along. A bird flapped its wings in my face and somebody's curly hair shoved its way into my mouth. "Stop those children!"

But we were far too deep into the crowd for him to find us, try as he might. I didn't stop, though, until we reached a solid brick barrier between two platforms. I sighed, leaning against it and eying Remus from the corner of my eye.

"I think we lost him."

"I...I can't believe we just did that!" Remus breathed, out of breath. I wasn't sure if it was because he was tired from our run, or if it was because he was nervous. "Do you have any idea how much trouble we'll be in?"

"None," I replied, grinning. "He didn't see our faces."

He gave me a look. "Oh, only the entire car did."

My grin turned into a frown. "Huh. I didn't think about it like that."

He rolled his eyes. "Do you ever think before you just...do?"

"Hmm...let me think..." I tapped a finger against my chin. "How about no."

He looked ready to shoot himself. Sighing, he buried his face into his hands, sitting down against the barrier.

"Don't be such a worry wart." I nudged him. "I'm sure they'll forget all about it over break." He looked up at me skeptically. "Aw, don't be like that, Remus. I know you've run from authority plenty of times before."

He cracked a little smile at that. "I can't argue with that." He stood back up. "C'mon, we better find Peter, James, and Sirius. They're probably wondering what happened to us."

"Oh! I almost forgot about them!" I paused, glancing around at the crowded and bustling platform. "How do you plan on finding them through all this?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but frowned as he realized he had no answer. "I have no clue."

I laughed. "Well, this is a bit of a dilemma." Our problem was solved when a shout rang toward us,

"There you two are! We've been looking all over for you!" We turned to see the three boys walking toward us. James stowed the Map away into his back pocket. "Where the bloody hell have you been?"

"We had a bit of a…situation in our car," Remus said, giving me a sideways glance.

"Oh, god, what'd she do now?" Sirius teased. I scowled at him. Remus tried to give him a stern look, but clearly he was amused. James and Peter snickered.

"Why do people always assume that that _I'm_ the one stirring up trouble?" I grumbled, folding my arms across my chest.

"Because it always _is_ you."

I opened my mouth to retort, but I found none. The boys burst out laughing.

"Oh, just shut up," I growled. "Are we gonna get going or what?"

"Well, if you two are finally ready..." James grinned. He dodged the slap I sent his way, laughing.

"So we're off to Diagon Alley, I'm assuming?" Remus asked as we began to walk.

"Of course," James replied. "Although we're meeting up with my parents at the Leaky Cauldron first."

"Diagon Alley?" I frowned. "What's that?"

James's eyes bulged. "What's Dia—bloody hell, Piers, you need to get out more." The boys snickered around me as I scowled.

"It's basically the shopping center of London," Remus explained to me. "Wizarding London, that is."

"Well, thanks for explaining it to me. At least _you're _nice." I looked meaningfully at the other boys. Peter snickered behind his hand. Sirius and James shot him looks, promptly shutting him up.

"Lighten up, Piers, you know we're just kidding," Sirius said, though he too knew I wasn't actually mad. "Don't be such a grouch."

"How am I not supposed to be a grouch when you're always—AHH!" I squeezed my eyes shut as Sirius shoved me toward the wall. Expecting to feel a sharp pain in my forehead, I was surprised when I opened my eyes and found myself in a bustling train station. It was different from the one we were just in, though, and I noted that the people looked very different as well. They weren't wizards, they were, well…people. Muggles, or whatever.

When I turned, I saw the boys, one by one, emerge from the barrier. I glanced around me, shocked that nobody noticed them. As soon as Sirius, the last one, exited the barrier, I slapped him hard on the arm. I didn't really want to admit it, but I think I was acting like such a bitch toward him because I was still annoyed about the entire Marlene situation.

"And you wonder why I'm always grouchy," I grumbled.

"Ow!" he cried, holding the spot where I'd hit him. "What was that for?"

"For scaring me," I growled. Then, not feeling satisfied, I slapped him again.

He yelped once more. "What was that one for?"

I paused. "For being an asshole." He scowled as James and Peter snickered. Remus tried to hide his smile.

"Fine, fine," he grumbled, raising his hands in a gesture of peace. "I didn't mean to scare you or anything. I was just having some harmless fun."

"Not completely harmless," James pointed out, meaning the fact that I'd slapped Sirius twice. Peter and Remus snickered. I couldn't help a smile.

"Can we just get going?" Sirius said, still rubbing his arm. "I need enough time to buy everything."

"Right," James agreed. "Let's get going."

As we made our way to the Leaky Cauldron, Remus and I explained to the other boys what the 'situation' in the railcar had been. They were all surprised, angry, and amused throughout our story.

"That's my boy Moony!" Sirius cried out once we were done, slapping Remus on the back. "Damn, I wish I'd been there to see that!"

I cast him a sharp look, but bit my tongue and said nothing. Sirius didn't notice the look I'd just sent him, but James did. He raised his eyebrows at me, and I looked away.

He _could've_ been there if he'd left Marlene behind and went with us. Hell, the entire situation could've been avoided if Sirius had done something about Marlene. But no. He was more concerned about getting laid than seeing to it that his friends were okay. Irritated by these thoughts, I remained relatively quiet until we reached the Leaky Cauldron. If the boys noticed anything strange about my behavior, they said nothing of it. Remus did send me a worried and puzzled look, though, and James was watching me with a frown.

"_This_," I said, raising an eyebrow at the broken down pub we stood in front of, "is the Leaky Cauldron?"

"It looks much better on the inside, I assure you," James said to me over his shoulder, opening the door.

He was right. It wasn't exactly a five-star pub, mind you, the décor a tad dreary and the lights rather dim, but it was nicer than it looked on the outside.

"James! Over here!" a voice called out to us. James broke out in a grin as he ran toward a table that was occupied by two people. A woman stood up from her chair, opening her arms and smiling. James ran into her embrace. The man sitting at the table also stood up, and embraced James once the woman let him go.

I raised my eyebrows at the scene. Clearly James was very close to his parents.

"Oh!" the woman cried as the group of us headed toward her. "Remus! Peter! Sirius! It's so nice to see you all again!" She gave them all a big group hug.

Sirius grinned. "It's great to see you too, Mrs. Potter. You're glowing, as always."

"I see you haven't changed a bit," she said affectionately. I recalled that Sirius had moved in with the Potters' during the summer, and figured that he must've been close with James's parents too. "How are you, my dears?" She looked at the three of them with a bright smile on her face.

Peter squeaked "good" and Remus smiled dashingly, saying, "I'm great, Mrs. Potter, thank you. How are you?"

"I'm great now that you're all here!"

I had to admit that I was beginning to feel out of place watching the happy family reunion. Thankfully, James's dad noticed me. He gently nudged his wife and nodded toward me. I smiled awkwardly as her bright eyes found mine.

"Aren't you going to introduce us, James?" his father asked him.

"Hmm? Oh yeah." Apparently he was so happy he'd forgotten about me. Gee, thanks, bud. I felt so loved right now. "Mom, Dad, this is Alex. Alex, these are my parents."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," James's father said, stepping toward me and shaking my hand.

"It's great to meet you too," I said politely, firmly shaking his hand. James looked a lot like his father—they had the same hazel eyes, same jet black hair, and almost stood shoulder-to-shoulder. They weren't exactly identical, of course; James's father had square glasses propped along his nose unlike his son's round ones, and his hair was gelled back neatly. I was sure once it wasn't gelled, though, it became as unruly as James's.

"It's so nice to meet you," his mother said, taking a step toward me and opening her arms for a hug. I raised my eyebrows in surprise but embraced her nonetheless, feeling a little awkward as her warmth radiated through me. She released me and smiled warmly down at me. She was very pretty, with short black hair and startling blue eyes. I did see a little bit of James in her—they had the same nose and mouth. He still looked a lot more like his dad, though. "I hope you enjoy your stay."

"I'm sure I will," I smiled back. "I really appreciate what you're doing for me." Here I looked at James's father as well to make sure he knew I was speaking to him as well.

"Oh, it's no problem," Mrs. Potter said dismissively. "In fact, I'm a little excited to finally have a girl around the house. It can get a little tiring to have all these boys around." She looked around at the males that surrounded us, and winked at me. I laughed as James's dad frowned.

"So, now that we'd had our introductions and all, can we get going?" James whined, looking up at his parents hopefully. His father sighed and nodded.

"Yes, yes, off you go now." He shooed us away, smiling. Mrs. Potter took everybody's luggage, taking care of it until we came back. "Just make sure you're back here by two."

"Yessir." He mockingly saluted his father, who chuckled.

"You wait just a second now!" somebody shouted at us. We all turned to see a middle-aged man wearing an apron scurrying toward us. "You ain't leaving until you greet your old man Tom!"

Everybody other than me chuckled.

"You'll have plenty of time to chat once they're back," Mrs. Potter reassured the man. He didn't look convinced.

"That may be so," he said, "but they're not leaving until they introduce me to this fine young lady." He gave me what he must've supposed was a charming smile. Mrs. Potter chuckled, covering her hand with her mouth.

"Oh, gosh," she said to her husband. "We better get out of here."

"Good idea," he replied, looking amused. Taking out his wand, he made our luggage levitate. "We'll be upstairs if you need us." And just like that, they really left, bringing the levitating luggage with them.

I cleared my throat, extending my hand out toward Tom. "I'm Alex." I smiled.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise as he shook my hand. "My, is that an American accent I hear?"

I smiled as we released hands. "Yes, sir, it is."

"Isn't that something?" He paused, glancing around mischievously at the boys. "Which one of my lucky lads picked this gem up?"

I raised an eyebrow, and the boys all looked equally surprised and amused. "None of them," I responded curtly.

"Not yet," Sirius murmured. His eyes darted to Remus, a smirk on his face. Raising an eyebrow, I stole a glance at Remus, who had turned a bright red and was glaring at Sirius.

Tom raised his eyebrows, not noticing the look Sirius had given Remus. He grinned mischievously. "Oh? Then perhaps I'll keep the jewel for myself?" He winked at me, smiling that supposedly charming smile again. I noted that he was missing one of his front teeth. "That is...unless you disapprove, Mr. Black."

I narrowed my eyes slightly. Was this man implying that...?

Sirius's eyes bulged. Obviously he'd reached the same conclusion I had. "Oh, god no, you misunderstood me, Mr. Tom! I meant—"

"Oh, no, I understand completely." He winked at him. "No worries, mate. I wouldn't pass up a gem like this either."

Although Tom continually referred to me as jewelry, implying that I was a special treasure, I was starting to get the feeling that he was talking about me as if I was a piece of meat.

"Listen, Mr. Tom," James said, holding back a laugh, "Alex and Sirius are just friends—nothing more."

"For now, right?" He winked at Sirius again.

Now I was starting to get annoyed. "Okay, now you're starting to—"

"Sorry to ruin all the fun," Remus interrupted, forcing a smile on his face, "but we have to get going. We'll see you in a bit, Mr. Tom."

Tom pursed his lips. "Oh, alright. But we're not done here." He waggled a finger at Sirius, who shook his head in exasperation.

"No, I think you are." My mouth fell open in shock. It wasn't me who'd said it, but Remus. Everybody else looked just as shocked as I did, although Sirius instantly looked amused.

"I'm sorry," Tom said, eyes wide, "have I done something to offend you, Mr. Lupin?"

It was clear that he had. Remus's shoulders were stiff, and this time he bore no smile. "I don't appreciate the implications you're making. I think they're making Alex feel uncomfortable." Although it seemed like _he_ was more uncomfortable.

"Oh." He blinked, and then looked a tad guilty. "I'm sorry. I meant no harm." He looked at me.

"Oh, um, it's alright." It was surprising how easily he'd apologized. I supposed I'd forgotten that I was dealing with an adult and not a teenager. "I know you were just having some fun."

He smiled graciously. "Thank you, darling. I'll try keeping my mouth in check from now on. I do have a tendency to speak before thinking..."

"She can relate," Sirius grinned. I glared at him as James and Peter laughed. Remus seemed to have relaxed slightly, but was still looking at Tom with displeasure.

"Now that we've gotten that all sorted out, I think it's time for us to head off," James said. "We'll see you in a bit, Mr. Tom."

He waved goodbye to us and headed back toward the bar as we headed toward the back end of the pub.

"He's a good guy, y'know," James said to me as he exited the pub and into an alley that was merely a long stretch wall. "You might've gotten off on the wrong foot, but he's really not that bad once you get to know him."

I gave him a look. "He only seemed interested in getting his boy Sirius laid."

Peter, James, and Sirius burst out into laughter. Remus seemed annoyed.

"That shows that the man looks out for your best interests," Sirius grinned. When I didn't look amused, he spoke to me coaxingly. "Oh, lighten up, love. The man was just smitten by you!"

I rolled my eyes. Peter began to tap against the wall, but paused, frowning. Grumbling something, James pushed him out of the way and began tapping away at the wall himself. I frowned at them, but forgot all about them when Remus spoke next.

"I guess we can't blame him for that," Remus smiled. Clearly he wasn't annoyed or irritated anymore. I raised an eyebrow at him, but was unable to stop the smile from crossing my lips.

"Are you complimenting me, Remus Lupin?"

He smirked a little. That tiny bit of a smirk made him look...pretty damn sexy. "Actually, I believe I'm flirting with you, Alex Piers."

I was caught so off-guard by his forwardness that I was momentarily speechless. He kept smirking at me in his deliciously sexy way.

I never had the chance to respond (so I probably looked like a gaping idiot), since I was distracted by the wall sliding open. Another world was revealed behind the space left behind the wall, like a missing tooth. Pointy hats bobbed through the bustling crowd as witches and wizards hurried from store to store.

I caught James and Sirius exchanging mischievous, knowing smirks while looking at Remus and me. They immediately sobered when they caught me raising an eyebrow at them. I frowned, wondering what they'd been smirking about.

Sirius cleared his throat, preventing me from thinking any further on the matter. "This"—He gestured to the shopping center behind him—"is Diagon Alley."

I grinned. "Let's get shopping."

* * *

><p><em>Geez, I hope no brains have exploded while staring at the screen for too long waiting for my update O.O XD Hopefully I've made it in time!<br>_

_So, hey, guys. It's now been a little over two years since I've started this story...crazy, innit? And it's not even Christmas for them yet. -_- Yeesh._

_Anyways, I guess we saw a little bit more of jealous and protective Remus in this chapter. Protective when Bertram called her his bitch, jealous when Tom was implying that Sirius and Alex should get together. Actually, I'm sorta surprised that I made this the first time somebody imply that something was going on between Sirius and Alex—they kinda seem like they could be a couple. Or not. Maybe it's weird to think about when they're such good friends. I dunno. Just my two cents._

_The next chapter will be about Christmas break, and after that...well, let's just say there's gonna be a looooot of drama._


	18. Chapter 18

We spent the break sledding, having snowball fights, building igloos, playing card games, and having the occasional drink or two once James's parents were sleeping. James's parents were very kind and considerate. Mr. Potter was more easy-going and fun-loving than I'd initially thought him to be; he would sometimes even join us to play in the snow. Mrs. Potter was warm and loving, making sure that everybody was happy.

They had a really nice house, too. Like, _really_ nice. As in, freakin' mansion nice! James was rich, for God's sake! His house was the biggest one I'd ever stepped foot in before! Honestly, I was pretty sure that each of us would be able to have our own room, but we all slept in the same room so that we could fool around at night. Although Mrs. Potter had initially insisted that I should sleep in a separate room (since I was a _girl_ and all), I refused her offer. I would be bored outta my mind if I was stuck alone all the while knowing the boys were having a blast next door.

Christmas Day soon came along. I was unceremoniously awoken on that faithful winter morning.

"C'mon already!" James whined, tugging at my covers. "I wanna open my presents!"

"How old are you? Five?" I growled, tugging the covers back over myself. He pursed his lips at me. I peeked at the clock. "It's seven in the morning, for God's sake…"

"Do Americans not open their presents in the morning or something?"

"No, we do, but that doesn't mean we have to—"

"Then what the bloody hell are you complaining about? _Get your lazy arse up_!"

I merely hid my head underneath the blankets in response.

Next thing I knew, I was flung right out of bed. I hit the floor with an "oomph!" and glared at James ferociously. He was grinning snidely.

"Only way I knew how to get you up." He shrugged. "Now do you want your presents or not?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I growled, wrapping my robe around myself and following him out of the room. "Geez."

"Americans," he huffed, "so bloody lazy." He earned himself a punch in the shoulder. "Ow! Hey, you have to be nice to me today! It's Christmas!"

"Just because it's Christmas doesn't mean I have to be nice to you. Besides, you were the one that was being an ass in the first place." We walked down the spiral staircase.

"I was not!" he huffed indignantly. "You're the rude one, being all selfish and trying to sleep in while the rest of us wait for you to get your ruddy arse up so we can open presents."

"Excuse me? I think _you're_ the selfish one here! You just wanna open your damn presents—"

"It's Christmas!" he cried. "What d'you expect?"

I didn't respond as we entered the family room. The tree was actually quite small and humble, but it was overloaded with presents. Everybody else was sitting and standing around, and turned to us expectantly as we entered. Mr. Potter's hair was sticking up in every direction, indicating that he'd just woken up, and it made me smile. I bet that James would look just like his father when he grew up.

"You finally awake?" Sirius asked, sounding slightly amused. His hair was also disheveled.

"Yeah, thanks to the wake-up call," I grumbled.

"Oh, quit your complaining," James said. I glared at him.

"Let's all be nice now," Mrs. Potter chided. She smiled warmly at me. "Merry Christmas, dear."

I smiled back. "Merry Christmas." Soon enough everybody was wishing me a merry Christmas. "Were you guys waiting for me?" I asked, a tad sheepishly, as I glanced around the room.

"Duh!" James said, rolling his eyes. His mother shot him a look.

"No, dear, of course not," she said, turning to me with a warm smile. "You could've taken all the time you wanted."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," James grumbled, waving his hand dismissively. I glared at him. "Can we open our presents now?" he whined like a child, looking up hopefully at his mother. She sighed, smiling a little as she shook her head in exasperation.

"Yes, alright."

He let out a squeal of joy, bending over the tree to see which presents were his. The rest of us kids did the same, as Mr. and Mrs. Potter watched us with smiles on their faces. I noticed Mr. Potter squeeze his wife's shoulder affectionately, and she leaned against him. They looked absolutely content as they watched James open his first present (which turned out to be a new broom). I found myself staring at the three of them as James embraced his parents happily. They laughed as he jumped up and down, asking if he could try it out now.

_"What took you so long?" I heard my mother demand. Footsteps quickly stomped against the tile. I quietly took a peek out the crack in my door. Mom was standing in front of Dad, her back faced to me. _

_ "This is the welcoming I get after a hard day of work?" my father growled. He looked exhausted and irritated. _

_ "You shouldn't have even been working today!" she exclaimed angrily, throwing her hands up in the air. _

_ "Keep your voice down," he hissed, leaning down toward her. "Aren't the kids sleeping?"_

_ "Yes, yes they are," she said, her voice only lowering slightly. She was having difficulty keeping her temper and tone down. "But what do you care about our kids?" _

_ My father's expression became suddenly deadly. "What's that supposed to mean?" His voice was barely contained, and I could tell he was trying his best to keep calm._

_ "It means that you don't spend enough time with them! Actually, you don't spend ANY time with them! You're always spending so much time at your damn job!"_

_ "And why's that?" he roared, seeming to forget that Luke and I were 'sleeping'. "I'm working so hard at that damn job so I can make money for this family! For you and for the kids! Don't you understand that?" _

_ "But you don't have to work on Christmas Day, for crying out loud!" she shouted just as loudly. She was standing on her tiptoes and was fearlessly staring my father in his red face. "The kids had to spend Christmas Day without seeing their father and without opening their presents; how do you think that makes them feel?"_

_ "How do you think it makes _me_ feel?" he exclaimed. "I love them, you know! I want to see them too!"_

_ "So you should've taken the day off! One day's not gonna hurt!"_

_ He sighed, taking a step back and slumping against the wall. He rubbed his temple as if it hurt. "You know what I have to do to get that promotion, Liz…"_

_ She softened. "I know, I know," she said softly. She took a step toward him, encircling her arms around his waist and resting her head against his chest. He rested his cheek against the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her. He murmured reassuring words to her as she buried her face against him, her shoulders shaking. Quietly I retreated back into my bed, and stared up at the dark ceiling for hours…_

"Alex."

"Huh?" I blinked out my reverie to see Remus handing me a present. There was a hint of concern on his features. "Oh, thanks." I looked at the label to see that it was from—

Wait, what?

"I can't accept this," I said instantly, looking at Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Mild surprise passed over their faces.

"Of course you can, sweetheart! It's Christmas!" Mrs. Potter said to me.

"But…you've already given me my present by letting me stay here."

She placed a hand against her chest, giving me a small smile. "I'm touched," she said softly. Mr. Potter smiled and wrapped an arm around her. "Truly, Alex, honey, that makes me so happy to hear…but, we still wanted to give you a present too!"

Although I felt like they were doing too much for me, I decided not to argue it. I smiled and settled for a "thank you" instead. I opened the present to find a small ring winking at me. It was a pretty silver ring that had a green gem on it. I raised my eyebrows in surprise and examined it closer. I realized that the ring was actually shaped like a snake, and that the green gem was in its mouth.

"This...this is really nice," I said at last, looking up from the ring to look at Mr. and Mrs. Potter. They were smiling. "Thank you so much." I sincerely meant it, too.

"I'm glad you like it," Mrs. Potter said. "James told us you were in Slytherin, so I figured you might need something like that."

"Slytherin pride, huh?" I smiled despite myself. James and Sirius exchanged amused looks. I slipped the ring on my index finger; it fit perfectly.

"Dunno what there is to be proud of," Sirius teased.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" I asked, sounding dazed. "I couldn't hear you over how awesome I am." I grinned at him as he rolled his eyes.

We continued to open our gifts. Mr. and Mrs. Potter had gotten gifts from everybody, aside from me. I felt bad for not getting them anything since they'd been so kind and hospitable for me. But they assured me that it was alright. Which made me feel even worse about not getting them anything!

James gave me gloves for my broomstick so I wouldn't have to use my bare hands during Quidditch anymore ("Though those will be useless when you're up against me," James had said arrogantly), Peter had given me a quill ("Oh! Wow! Err…thanks, Peter!"), and Sirius had given me a keychain that had a pair of little boxing gloves with the U.S. flag on them ("Thought those would be perfect for you, love"). I had gotten James a Snitch that was actually a bouncing ball ("I hope you can catch it!"), Sirius an entire collection of gags ("You just better not use any of them on me"), Peter a pair of mittens ("…I thought maybe you might need a pair…"), and Remus a huge box of chocolates, along with a cup full of teabags ("Just don't get any cavities, ya hear me?")

Remus frowned as he faced me. I was busy flexing my hands in my new Quidditch gloves. "Did you get my present?" he asked me. I looked up at him.

"Uhm…no." I glanced underneath the tree and saw a little red package underneath. "Is this it?" I pulled it out, and surely enough, it was addressed from Remus to me. I noted that it was very light and hard. Grinning at him, I tore apart the wrapping paper.

My eyebrows rose and my eyes widened. I held in my hands a beautiful silver headband. It consisted of small and sparkly beads of silver linked together, and at one section of it, in between the beads, was an intricate weave of pretty silver flowers.

I faced Remus breathlessly. He looked anxious, almost self-conscious, the way he fidgeted where he stood.

"…Remus…"

"If you don't like it, I could always return it," he said, eying me unsurely.

I gaped at him. "What makes you think I don't like it?" He looked mildly surprised. "I love it!"

He smiled a little. "Really?"

"Really! I mean, look at this thing!" I gestured and marveled at it. "It's…really beautiful." I didn't think that anybody had given me such a beautiful gift before. I was…touched. The ring that the Potters gave me was pretty too, but not like this...

"That's why I had to get it for you," he smiled. I eyed him with a slight, amused smirk, wondering if he'd meant that flirtatiously. I was oblivious to the smirks James and Sirius shared and the surprised yet instantly amused look Mrs. Potter gave her husband.

"A headband? Isn't that something you get for girls?" Sirius said. An amused smirk tugged at his lips.

"I am a girl, you idiot," I growled, slapping him on the arm.

"Hmm. Well, you never act like one, so I just figured..."

"Yeah, Padfoot's more of a girl than you are!" James chimed in.

"Yeah, I—hey!" We all burst out laughing as Sirius realized that it was an insult on his part.

"You do PMS more than me," I pointed out, referring to his nickname. He made a face of disgust.

"Bloody hell," he groaned, clutching his head, "don't say that!"

I snickered as the other boys looked equally uncomfortable. I would've continued to if Mrs. Potter hadn't interrupted me.

"Who wants breakfast?"

* * *

><p>The backyard was covered in snow. The trees were drooping at the weight of it, the green of the grass had been replaced by white, and snowflakes continued to whirl around in the air. I stared out at it all silently, leaning against the railing.<p>

I heard the sound of a glass door sliding open behind me. Turning around, I saw Remus exit. He raised his wand, muttered something underneath his breath, and a sudden warmth enveloped me. It seemed like he'd just put a warm bubble around us.

"Hey," he said. I noted that he was wearing jeans. I had to admit, I liked the way they looked on him.

"Hey," I replied softly, offering him a small smile. I turned back around, looking off the balcony. He walked up beside him, leaning against the railing with his hands casually crossed.

"…Are you okay?"

I faced him, eyebrows raised slightly in mild surprise. "What makes you ask?"

"You've been out here for three games of Exploding Snap. We were wondering when you'd come back in so you could finally beat Sirius's winning streak."

I tried to bring myself to smile, but it fell flat. "I won't be long." I looked away again, and waited for the sound of his footsteps to pad away. But I never heard it, and I could still see him leaned against the railing.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" His voice was so soft I'd barely heard him. I faced him, surprised. Then, despite myself, I smiled.

"You know me too well."

He smiled slightly. We stood there staring at each other for a silent moment.

I sighed softly, looking down at my hands. "It's just…Christmas isn't my favorite time of the year. In fact, it's my least favorite." I paused, half-expecting him to ask me why, but he just waited patiently for me to continue. "It brings back a lot of bad memories."

_Everything was spiraling and blurry and the pain seared through me as if I'd been burned…_

"And being here…where everybody just shows each other so much love…is not what I'm accustomed to. It's…" I paused. "Different."

"…But different isn't always bad, is it?"

I glanced at him and away, smiling a little. "No, it's not. It's just…" I sighed. "Hard to soak in." I was quiet for a moment, staring at my hands. "I mean, James's parents just take such good care of him, and it's clear that they love him. And us—they even treat us like family." I paused, glancing at him again. "I gotta say…I'm a bit jealous of him."

He smiled. "You're not the only one." I raised my eyebrows questioningly. "I don't exactly have the best relationship with my parents either." His smile hardened.

My eyebrows rose further in surprise. Although I would sometimes mention things about my family, I realized that we never talked about Remus's. "Oh."

He chuckled lightly. "Oh."

A twinge of guilt hit me. "Sorry, I just…well…" I found myself at a loss of words. What was I supposed to say? Sorry I always I assumed you had a perfect family because you're such a perfect kid?

"I know. It's hard to believe, right?" He smiled warmly at me, making me feel less guilty. "I get along well with my mother…but my father…" He trailed off, looking away. "Let's just say he has trouble accepting me for who I am." He was quiet for some time, staring off at the blanket of white around us.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why would he? You're, like, the perfect son!" He looked at me with raised eyebrows. "I mean, you're smart, kind, considerate, handsome…what's not to like?" I paused, feeling a rush of defensiveness burst within me. "I'd be damn proud of you if I was your father!"

He laughed. "Well, thanks, Alex. I'll keep that in mind." I could tell he was making fun of me a bit, by the way his smile was lifted more at one corner than the other. I pursed my lips and placed a hand on my hip.

"Don't make fun of me, Remus Lupin! I sincerely meant what I said!"

He chuckled again. He smiled genuinely at me, placing a reassuring hand on my arm. "I know you did." His eyes twinkled. "That was sweet."

"Next time I'll tell your dad," I grumbled, feeling a little flustered at his warm words. He smiled at me, looking slightly amused.

"Then I'll tell yours about what a great kid you are too."

My lips curved up in the corner as I gave him a look of disbelief. "I'm not sure how that'll work out."

"Why not? If you'll be able to convince my dad, surely I'll be able to convince yours."

I rolled my eyes and let out a sharp laugh. I knew he meant well, but… "I don't think so, babe. My dad hates me."

He frowned. "I'm sure he doesn't hate you."

"Oh, but he does," I replied bitingly, my tone venomous. My hands balled up into fists. "I mean, you can't blame the man—I'm not the perfect daughter, I know. But he's not exactly the perfect father either."

A silence lapsed between us.

"Nobody's perfect, Alex," Remus said softly.

"Perhaps not, but I can tell you that my family is far from it," I said sharply, irritated he would say something like that.

"I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I understand all your family problems, but I can tell you that there's always a way to fix these problems—"

"And have you fixed the ones with yours?" I asked harshly. His eyebrows rose and he silenced. "Then don't go around spewing some damn advice you yourself don't follow." I knew I was being mean. I knew I was being a bitch. I knew he was just trying to help me out. But I didn't want his sympathy.

"…I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to seem arrogant or contriving…let alone hypocritical. I just wanted to help."

I softened. "I know," I sighed. "I know you mean no harm. Sorry for snapping like that. It's just…this can sometimes be a really difficult topic for me." I glanced out at backyard. "I know I come off as just some rebellious teen that doesn't give a damn about her parents. I know it seems like it's just a phase. But…there are always two sides to a story." I looked down at my hands. "There are some acts that are unhealable, unforgiveable. That will change the way you view someone forever." I became silent.

"…What happened?" Remus asked gently. I didn't respond immediately, debating whether or not I ought to tell him. My chest was swelling with the turmoil inside me. I turned to him, and when I looked into those deep warm eyes I knew I could tell him anything; I trusted him.

So I took a deep breath and told him the tale of what happened that Christmas four years ago…

"_Where the hell have you been?" my father demanded as I closed the door behind me. I calmly took off my coat and placed it on the hanger. _

"_Your father and I have been worried sick about you!" my mother said. She stood up beside him. Their expressions were furious. _

"_Do you have any idea what time it is?" Dad demanded._

_I glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's only ten to eight," I replied nonchalantly. _

"_On Christmas Day!" he exclaimed angrily. We all stayed where we were, my feet still on the kitchen tile while my parents' were on the carpet. Briefly I wondered where Luke was. _

"_So?" _

"_SO?" Dad repeated. His eyes bulged. He took a few steps forth so that one foot was on the carpet and the other on the tile. "SO?"_

"_Yeah, what's the big deal?" I folded my arms across my chest. "You always came home late on Christmas Day."_

_He bristled visibly. I tried not to smirk at my inward victory; I'd succeeded in giving him a little piece of his own medicine. _

"_Alex," Mom said, her voice taking a dangerous turn just like my comments had, "that was different."_

_I raised my eyebrows at her in genuine surprise. I had to admit I was a little disappointed. But, then again, my mother would always stick on my father's side when it came down to yelling at me, even though they would always yell at each other for other things. "You're actually standing up for him? If I recall correctly, you used to scream at him for always working Christmas Day."_

_She also fidgeted. I was beginning to feel quite victorious about this confrontation. _

"_I was _working_," my father said since my mother had trouble defending herself against the truth, "You, on the other hand, were just prancing around the City!"_

_I paused, pretending to ponder. "I don't understand the difference." Again, I tried not to smirk at the way my smart-ass-ness created a reaction. _

"_Michael," Mom hissed warningly as my dad took a few more steps toward me. _

"_Don't 'Michael' me," he snapped at her over her shoulder. "It's your damn fault she turned out like THIS." He gestured to me. I furrowed my eyebrows, insulted._

_She raised her eyebrows. "MY fault? You're the one that never spends any time with her!" Whenever they argued, they became oblivious to everything around them, including me. "You know, parenting goes both ways."_

"_She's your primary responsibility," my father retorted. I was beginning to feel as if they were referring to me as unwanted dog. "You influence her the most. You should never let her stay out this late to begin with."_

"_Maybe if you got involved in her life and treat her like your daughter, then she wouldn't have become as irresponsible as she is." I flinched a little, even though her comments were meant to inflict more pain on him than me._

_His eyes flared, and now he turned his body to her completely. "I am involved in her life!" he said, his voice much louder than it had been before he had been insulted. "I come here every freakin' Christmas, don't I? I take days off work to come and see her, don't I? I don't see YOU coming to Detroit to visit us!"_

_Her eyes fluttered and widened at his audacity. "You know why that is," she said in a hushed, outraged hiss. I knew why too. We never went to Detroit to visit my father and brother simply because we couldn't afford it. We didn't own a car, so we couldn't drive. And we certainly couldn't pay the airplane tickets for it._

"_Well, that's not exactly my problem, is it?" my father replied arrogantly. Obviously he was implying it was my mother's fault she didn't have as much money as he did._

_He had just crossed the line. I couldn't believe he would say something as low as that._

"_Don't talk to my mother like that." My voice was steely. They both turned to me, surprised. My dad's eyes narrowed immediately. I realized that I was shaking slightly in rage. My hands were curled up into fists by my sides. _

"_What did you just say to me?" He took more steps forth so that we were now standing face-to-face. I stared up at him defiantly. My heart thumped loudly. I was nervous about what might happen, but I was too mad to care about the consequences._

"_I _said_, don't talk to my mother like that."_

"_Alex—" Mom started, but Dad raised a hand to silence her. She looked worried, almost scared._

"_And what makes you think," my dad said steadily, trying to stay in control of his emotions, "you can talk to ME like that?"_

"_Why not?" I snapped. His eyes went ablaze, and all his self-restraint snapped in two._

"'_Cause I'm your father, that's why!" he shouted. His face had turned a bright red and the veins in his neck were taut. "You give me respect!"_

"_And that's my mother!" I roared in response, feeling the anger within me flare past the small rational side of my mind. "You give HER some respect!"_

"_What goes on between your mother and I is none of your concern!" he shouted even louder. "Now you apologize to me right now!"_

"_No," I growled. "NO! You apologize to HER!"_

_For a brief moment he went silent, his posture rigid, his eyebrows furrowed, his eyes ablaze as if they were on fire. "I'm YOUR father; I tell YOU what to do," he hissed through clenched teeth. He was shaking with fury. "You do not order me around. You do not tell me what to do. You listen to what I tell you to do. You will respect me."_

_"You're not worthy of my respect," I spat. His eyes flashed, and he did something I never expected him to do._

_He drew his hand back and let it collide with my left cheek in a backhanded blow._

_Up to that point in my life, I thought I knew what pain was. I thought that the little "ouch!" of a paper cut was pain; that the kick to the shin was pain; that slipping on ice and falling on my behind was pain._

_But I had been wrong. I had never felt pain as I felt it now._

_I tasted blood in my mouth as I lost my footing and crashed to the floor. My jaw and cheek stung and burned as if hot flames were licking my face. Tears welled up in my eyes even though I tried to stop them. I thought I heard somebody shout, but I couldn't tell because of the ringing in my ears. I felt my mother rush to my side, bending down to my level, taking me gently by the face and trying to get me to look at her. But I refused, instead focusing on at my father's feet. I dared not look at his face._

"_Leave!" my mother screamed. My father's feet did not move. "Get out of here before I call the police!" Her voice cracked slightly, and I realized that she was crying. _

_There was a moment of hesitation before his feet turned and left. _

_ Mom was breathing heavily. She tried to get me to look at her again, and this time I complied. As I had suspected, there were tears in her eyes. She tried to wipe them away, for my sake. _

_ "Alex, honey…" she murmured, placing a hand against the cheek he had struck. I winced and she immediately took her hand away. "Are you okay?"_

_ I didn't respond. I heard the clomping of footsteps head our way and Luke's confused shouts._

_ "…Mom?" I recognized that hesitant voice to belong to Luke. I was sure his eyes fell on me._

_ She smiled softly. "Take care, dear. I'll try to see you soon. Love you." She didn't move to hug him goodbye, instead staying by my side. _

_ "…C'mon," I heard my father say gruffly, no doubt to Luke to tell him to move along. I heard the door swing open, and after a moment of hesitation I heard Luke's footsteps disappear. There was a brief moment of silence in which my mother stared down my father before he closed the door behind him and disappeared._

_I burst out crying._

_ "My poor baby," Mom whispered soothingly, wrapping her arms around me. I sobbed against her, and she petted my hair, murmuring reassuringly to me. "It's okay, it's okay," she whispered. "Momma's here for you."_

I was silent for a long time after I was done with my tale. I stared out into the white nothingness. The sky had become orange now, and I became distinctly aware of the laughter inside the house.

"He apologized, of course, after a few days," I said softly. "But I've never quite forgiven him, and I don't think I ever will. Maybe what I'm doing is holding a grudge, but I just can't help it." I paused. "Our relationship has never been the same since. I mean, we were never close to begin with, but…" I trailed off.

"He lost your trust," Remus concluded softly. I turned to him, surprised. He had been quiet and had been listening throughout my entire story, it would seem. He looked like he was dealing with a lot of emotions, mostly anger and sympathy.

"Yeah," I said quietly.

Gently, he brushed his fingers across my cheek. I jumped a little in surprise. "I'm sorry you had to go through that." His voice and touch was tender.

"Don't be sorry." I smiled a little. "It's not like it was your fault."

"I know, it's just…nobody should go through something like that."

I was silent.

"If I ever see your dad, I'll give him a piece of my mind." His voice had become darker as if he really _was _going to do just that. I laughed, amused, and he frowned. "What's funny? I'm serious!"

"Last time I checked, you were Remus," I joked. He rolled his eyes but I saw the little smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "But that was sweet of you to say."

He raised his eyebrows at me briefly in surprise but regained his composure. "You know what else is sweet?" I looked at him questioningly. He dug his hand into his pocket and fished out a little square something wrapped in a golden wrapper. "Chocolate."

"Chocolate?" I repeated incredulously, arching an eyebrow high. I tried not to look too amused. "And here I thought you'd been talking about me."

He raised an eyebrow at me as if I was stupid. "I said something sweet, not sour."

I gasped and punched him on the arm. He laughed. "Just gimme that damn chocolate," I growled, snatching it out of his hands. I ripped apart the wrapping and popped it in my mouth.

"That's not how you eat chocolate!" Remus cried out, aghast. I raised an eyebrow at him as the warm milk chocolate melted against my tongue. "You have to savor it." He took another one out of his pocket and ate it, taking his time on purpose. "Here, you try it." He offered me another.

I laughed. "Do you always carry chocolate on you?"

He smiled and shrugged sheepishly. "You never know when it comes in handy." He paused. "Chocolate does make everything better, after all." He cast me a hopeful glance.

"I don't think chocolate on its own makes everything better," I replied softly, smiling a little. I gently took his hand and gave it a small squeeze. His eyebrows rose and his cheeks flushed red. A moment later he looked like he was choking, and went into a violent coughing fit. Alarmed, I stepped toward him, but he abruptly stopped. "You okay?" I asked, concerned, tapping him gently on the back.

He nodded stiffly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Great, actually." He cleared his throat.

"I think you were savoring that chocolate a little too much," I teased. He shot me a dirty look, but the little smile on his lips gave him away.

"Shut up," he huffed, nudging me a little. I nudged him back and stuck my tongue out at him. A snowflake landed on it, sending a shiver down my spine. The warmth barrier must've disappeared while I'd been telling my story, because I suddenly realized how cold it was. Remus snickered. "Does this mean that it's time we get back inside and try to thaw off?"

I laughed. "I guess so." I hadn't even realized how much time had passed. We turned and started toward the door, but I stopped him. He turned toward me expectantly, eyebrows crinkled in confusion. "…Thanks. For, y'know..." I scratched my head uncomfortably, "Listening to me."

He smiled so warmly I was sure the snow around us melted. "Anytime, Alex, anytime. I told you before, didn't I?" He gently tipped my chin up so I was looking deep into his liquid eyes. His eyes looked like melted chocolate; so warm and beautiful and I just felt like I could happily drown in them... "I'm always here for you."

I was sure my heart had just turned into a pile of mush. "You're just the sweetest thing, you know that?" I hugged him tightly, pressing my face against him. He smelled and felt like a bakery that had just baked fresh bread and cookies. His warmth radiated through me, making me shiver. "I'm always here for you too. Don't you forget that." I released him and smiled up at him. He smiled back.

"I won't," he said softly. We stayed like that for a moment, simply smiling at each other.

"Now, c'mon," I said, taking his hand in mine and tugging him toward the door. "They probably think we've frozen over by now."

He laughed and followed me inside. As I moved to close the door, I paused to spare one last look outside. Smiling to myself, I closed the door, leaving the snow and my past behind. I grinned up at Remus and took his arm, thinking that maybe, just maybe, Christmas wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

><p><em>Quickest. Update. EVER. Heck yeah! Two updates in one month is pretty darn impressive for me! :D<em>

_So, anywhoo, this chapter was obviously a bit more emotional than the other ones. We see a bit more of Alex's past and how it affects her. In the first flashback, where her mom and dad are arguing, she was really young. It's there to show that her father has never really been there for her, even when her parents were still married. She's always felt like she was neglected since she was a kid, which also attributes to why she turned out to be such a "bad kid". She just wants the tender love and care she felt like she never received. _

_The second flashback was the big one. __What d'you guys think about the fact that Alex's dad slapped her? Was he crossing the line, or did she deserve it because SHE crossed the line? Either way, it reveals another reason why Alex despises her father. There are plenty of reasons why Alex has a bad relationship with her father (like the one I mentioned above; he was never there for her), but ever since he slapped her, she hasn't treated him the same. __She doesn't trust him anymore. And the fact that last summer had been the first time, since that Christmas four years ago, that she'd seen her father doesn't help. It just makes more tension between them and everything uneasy._

_Okay, that's enough about family drama. Oh, wait, I forgot to talk about Remus's family! When he says the entire "he doesn't love me for who I am" stuff he's referring to being a werewolf. In my story, Remus's father has trouble accepting that his son is a werewolf, even though it's been many years since he's been one. He's a bit ashamed of him for it. His mother still loves him regardless._

_So, if you happened to be curious, this is what the headband Remus gave Alex looks like (You're going to have to delete the spaces and add a do (without spaces..) after lovemydress because fanfiction isn't letting me put the link in -_-) _

___ www. lovemydress .a/6a0120a65f64b9970c01348762e1bc970c-580wi___

_Pretty, innit? Well, if you WERE able to see it -_- I might attach the link to my profile if I can, or I can change the cover photo to it temporarily if you guys want me to. 'Cause it's super pretty, and I want you to see it! :) If you wanna see what the snake ring looks like, just google "Snake ring fab" and you'll see what I was I writing about._

_I think this is officially my longest author's note. EVER. Yeesh. Thanks for reading, everybody! Feedback is always appreciated! _


	19. Chapter 19

_Hey guys! I know it's been a while, but I've had a case of writer's block. This chapter is actually my second attempt at it, because I realized how terrible the first draft was. So I had to start all over from scratch. I think you'll forgive me after finishing this chapter. Trust me, you will not be disappointed._

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><p>I walked down the empty and familiar hallway, wondering if it was the last time I would walk these halls again. Sirius had assured me that it certainly wouldn't be, since I hadn't technically done anything wrong on the train, other than run from the conductor. Remus, however, hadn't seemed as certain; he had glanced at me worriedly, the letter clenched in his fist.<p>

Remus and I had both received letters yesterday. Mine had been from Slughorn, telling me to see Dumbledore once I reached Hogwarts so that we could discuss the 'incident' on the train. Remus, however, had been sent down to McGonagall, not Dumbledore. It was clear, then, that I was in far more trouble than he was.

I stopped in front of the gargoyle protecting the staircase to Dumbledore's office, spoke the password, and stepped inside. I sighed deeply, running my fingers through my hair. It seemed like, even over here in Britain, I had a tendency to go to the principal's office more often in a school year than most kids did in a lifetime.

I stepped off the spiraling staircase and knocked on the large, wooden door. A muffled "Come in" came from the other side and I entered, closing the door behind me.

Dumbledore was dressed in what appeared to be nightclothes. They were a deep shade of purple and had hundreds of stars sprinkled on them. His back was turned to me, and when he turned to face me, there was a pastry in his mouth.

"Miss. Piers," he greeted, taking the pastry out of his mouth, "how are you?" There was a tad of custard left on the side of his mouth.

"I'm fine, but, err…sir, you gotta a little something…" I gestured to my mouth. His gray eyebrows rose in surprise and he chortled as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"That was a bit embarrassing," he chuckled. "Would you care for a custard pie?"

I smiled and shook my head. "No, thanks. Actually, I'd prefer it if we could get right down to business."

"Straightforward as always, aren't we?" He smiled as he took a seat in his chair. "But yes, let's. Please." He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. I stepped forward and sat down on it. I looked at him expectantly. He placed the tips of his fingers together, resting his elbows against the table. "So, I've heard that there was a bit of a dilemma on the train a few weeks ago."

"You've heard correctly," I said honestly, "but I'm not sure if all the information you've received is accurate." I was certain that Bertram had made up lies so that he looked completely innocent and Remus and I guilty.

"I know there are always two sides to a story," Dumbledore said patiently, "which is why you're here. I'd like you to share your tale."

So I told him what had happened that faithful day, from Bertram ramming into me to running away from the conductor. Dumbledore listened intently to me the entire time, not once interrupting me. When I finished my story, he shifted in his chair and stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"So," he said, "it seems to me that this entire situation could've been avoided."

I sighed heavily. "Yes, sir, I figured as much." He raised an eyebrow. "Sorry," I grumbled. "I just…look, if you're gonna kick me out, can you just get it over with? I don't like waiting in anticipation."

"Whoever said anything about kicking you out?" He seemed mildly surprised. My eyebrows shot up. "From what I've heard, it appears like Mr. Lupin had been the one to cast the spell and attack Mr. Aubrey. Although you were the one who had initially aggravated Mr. Aubrey—you need to learn how to be more respectful of your fellow schoolmates—and had disrespectfully ignored the conductor, you don't appear to have broken any of the rules we had discussed earlier."

"S-so…I get to stay?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"We'll have to wait until we hear Mr. Lupin's side of the story as well, but yes, as of now you are allowed to stay at Hogwarts."

I sighed in relief, falling back in my chair. I felt as if a load had just been taken off my shoulders. "You have no idea how happy that makes me."

He chuckled softly. "I'm glad you enjoy it so much here. However, I'm still going to give a week's worth of detention for your rude and disrespectful behavior. I'm also taking fifteen points off Slytherin." His voice had hardened and his gaze firm. "You have to learn how to be more respectful of others, Miss. Piers. Otherwise, they will not respect you."

"…Yes, sir," I replied quietly. My jaw tightened.

"…Very well," he said, a barely audible sigh escaping his lips as he leaned back in his chair. He suddenly looked very tired. "You are dismissed."

I didn't move, however. I felt as if I should've explained myself. Dumbledore did, after all, look a bit disappointed at my response (clearly he knew I hadn't full-heartedly responded), and after everything he'd done for me the least I could was explain myself. "Listen, Mr. Dumbeldore," I began, "I really appreciate what you've done for me. I know it hasn't been easy. I know I don't make it easy. But I'm trying. I really am." I really was. It had taken quite a bit of willpower to control myself.

He contemplated me silently. Then he smiled warmly, making his eyes crinkle. "I know, dear, I know," he said softly. "And I'm proud of you for trying so hard. I know this has been difficult for you."

I chuckled quietly. "You have no idea."

He shifted in his chair, commanding his full attention to me. "I can't even imagine, to be honest – to be thrust into another world, a world you'd never even known to exist – it must've been hard to believe at first."

"It was," I agreed. I let out a surprisingly heavy sigh. "It was very difficult. I mean, it was crazy, really. I didn't even know that witches and wizards actually existed, for cryin' out loud! You guys only appeared in fairytales!"

He chortled. "And I believe the witches tend to be evil, yes?"

"Not 'tend to'…they're always evil!" I exclaimed. "I mean, that evil old witch poisoned Snow White, that one crazy witch trapped Sleeping Beauty, and Hansel and Gretel were nearly…" I trailed off, suddenly realizing what a fool I must've looked like. Dumbledore looked highly amused. I cleared my throat. "I mean…yeah."

He chuckled. "Quite the avid fairytale reader, aren't you, Miss. Piers?"

I figured I should've been a bit embarrassed, but…what was there to be ashamed of? I mean, seriously. "I guess you could say that," I grinned.

"You know, if you ever have time on your hands…" He got up and walked around his table, walking over to the shelf on the wall. Placing a long finger against his chin, he scanned through the books, clearly looking for a specific one. When he found it, he let out a pleased little "aha!" and strode back to me. He held a rather thick and worn-out leather book in his thin hands. "You might be interested in reading some fairytales that many wizarding folks read to their children. This book has an entire collection of them." He handed me the book.

I smiled up at him and took it from him. The title read "The Tales of Beedle the Bard".

"Thank you," I said, genuinely meaning it, "This is very kind of you."

"Think nothing of it." His smile really was just so warm that it made feel all fuzzy and relaxed. "An act of kindness leads to another, no?" His eyes twinkled.

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted," I replied in turn. I was pleased to his white eyebrows raise in surprise.

"Quoting Aesop, I see?"

"I've had my fair share of schooling too, y'know."

He laughed quietly. "Well, you most certainly are an intelligent young lady. And in order to keep that brain active, you have to make sure you get enough sleep." He gave me a meaningful look, his eyes twinkling good-naturedly.

"That's my cue to go," I said, standing up. "Thanks for your time, sir."

"Anytime, dear, anytime…and as much as I enjoy your company, I hope the next time we meet, it will be out of my office." He gave me that look again. I knew what he meant. If I was a good kid and stayed out of trouble, I wouldn't have to go to his office and hear an earful.

"I hope so too." I held the book close to my chest as I made my way toward the door. "Good night, Mr. Dumbledore."

"Good night, Miss. Piers."

I gave him one last smile before I turned and left.

* * *

><p>"Looks like you're still here, huh?" Sirius greeted me, plopping down on the seat across from me. I didn't even bother to look up at him as I continued to scribble furiously on my parchment. Although I'd gotten used to writing with a quill, it was still irritating that I had to constantly dunk it into the ink.<p>

"Uh-huh," I replied. "Sorry to disappoint." _Dittany can also be shredded and used in the Wiggenweld Potion, which_…which what? Growling to myself, I flipped through the book on my lap. Wiggenweld Potion wiggenweld potion wigglenweld potion…what did that damn potion do?

Irritated, I finally looked up. "What does the Wiggenweld Potion do?"

"Good morning to you too," James huffed indignantly. I didn't even know that he'd arrived. I repeated my question without as much as a "good morning" in response. "If you hadn't been so rude, I would've told you," James said all snottily, lifting his chin. I glared viciously at him and called him a rather vulgar name. "Now I'm really not going to help you." I chucked a crumpled piece of parchment at him. It bounced off his shoulder.

"Oi! Don't be so mad at him!" Sirius huffed defensively, "It's your fault for not finishing your homework over break."

"How was I supposed to know I wasn't going to get booted out of school?" I growled in response.

"You still shoulda done your homework." He waggled a finger at me. "Just in case."

"Herbology was the only homework I didn't finish," I replied, a bit defensively. "I mean, c'mon! She's making us write a foot-long paper! A foot long!" I shook the parchment. It was only halfway filled, and even that was because I was writing big.

"What's your plant, anyway?" Peter asked. I hadn't even noticed him either! I jumped in surprise to see him sitting beside Sirius.

"Dittany," I replied quickly. "How the hell does she expect me to write a freakin' twelve inch paper about a freakin' five inch plant?"

"Oh, quit your whining," Sirius admonished. "We all did it, so you should be able to too. Besides, dittany's not even that bad."

"I don't have time to hear you lecture me!" I exclaimed in frustration. "I just want to know what the Wiggenweld Potion does!"

"It awakens somebody from sleep – sleep caused by magic, that is."

"Oh, thank you," I sighed in relief, turning to face Remus. I barely managed to catch a glimpse of his smile, though, because I quickly returned my attention to my essay, quickly finishing the sentence.

"Even Moony knew that," Sirius teased me. "That's bloody sad, Piers, 'cause Moony's terrible at Potions."

"Like you're any better," Remus countered. I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Am too! I believe I'm the one who earned an 'A' in Potions on the OWLs."

"I earned an E, though!" boasted James.

"Even Wormtail didn't do as bad as you, Moony," snickered Sirius.

"Oi!" huffed Peter. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'd hardly consider a P much better than a D," huffed Remus indignantly.

"Meh." I imagined James shrugging. "They _are_ both failing grades."

Clearly the grading system set up here was completely different from the one I was accustomed to, but I didn't bother asking them about it. _Not only is Dittany used for making potions and healing wounds and scars, but it is also used in wand—_

"Siri-kins!" an obnoxiously and irritatingly familiar voice squealed across the table. My 'n' in wand became a bit crooked, but I continued on with the rest of my sentence, trying my very best to ignore the other side of the table. But, of course, Marlene, being Marlene, just had to say something to me. "Wow, Piers. Just finishing up your homework? Kinda last second, don't you think?"

"Yup," I replied, not taking my eyes off the parchment. _Although dittany stalks are not seen as often in wands as they once were, it is their rarity that makes them so powerful. However, that can also have its consequences, making it more difficult to wield the wand_…

"Don't you think you're being a bit, you know, rude? I mean, here we are trying to have a friendly conversation with you, and you're just ignoring us."

"This _is_ Study Hall," I pointed out. "You're kinda supposed to be quiet and let others do their work." I shot her a meaningful look. Although there were only two other kids aside from me (both of whom, I assumed, also hadn't finished their homework, judging by their frantic scribbling), it didn't mean she could come in screeching like she always did.

She pursed her lips. Sirius shot me a 'don't you dare try to start something' look, and in return I shot him 'I'm not trying to start anything but she is' look. I returned my attention to my essay. I was three-quarters of the way through now!

"I was just trying to be nice," she huffed indignantly, "Would it hurt you to at least_ try_ to act a little civil?"

"Sorry, no can do," I replied, still scribbling furiously. "I don't like being fake."

Remus winced beside me and James inhaled sharply.

"So you're calling me fake?" Marlene asked angrily.

I sighed in irritation and leaned my head back to stare up at the ceiling. "Are you always trying to start something with me?"

"I'm not the one trying to start something," she snapped in response, "you are!"

"Look," I sighed, looking at her, "I didn't mean to imply that you were fake. I just meant that I personally don't want to pretend to be civil because I like to be real."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "That still sounds like you're trying to imply something."

The thing was, I really wasn't. For once. "I dunno what goes on in that head of yours, but that's not what I'm saying. I don't have time for this right now." I returned my attention to my essay. Now, where was I…?

A hand affectionately squeezed my arm, and I turned to see Remus smiling proudly at me. I smiled back, knowing that he was proud of me for avoiding an argument. I was about to return my attention to my homework when…

"Oh, my!" squealed Marlene. "Remus! I didn't know you had it in you!"

The smile slipped off his face as he turned to face her. "I don't know what you're talking about," he replied calmly. My quill was frozen in the air, as my attention was now on them. My eyes narrowed slightly.

"You know what I'm talking about, silly!" she giggled. "I saw that look you two just shared." She glanced at me briefly and then winked at Remus. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"There's nothing to tell."

"Don't be like that," she pouted. "I mean, I don't blame you for being embarrassed, since we are talking about _her_ after all…"

I threw down my quill in frustration, cutting Remus off before he could reply. Why did she _always_ have to have something to say? I was so _sick_ of her commenting on everything! "Listen, bitch," I snapped, "I've had it up to here with your freakin' bullshit! If you have something to say, you say it my freakin' face, and then we'll see what happens."

Sirius stiffened, his eyes narrowing at me. James looked excitedly back at forth between Marlene and me, Peter's eyes bulged, and Remus's jaw popped.

She frowned all innocently at me, batting her eyelashes and all. "Whatever do you mean? I haven't said anything bad."

"I know you're not as stupid as you look." Her eyes hardened. "You damn well know what you just implied."

"Me, imply things?" A hand flew dramatically to her chest. "I don't do that. I'm not fake." She smiled all too sweetly. I growled angrily. I couldn't believe what a serious bitch one person could be. I mean, seriously? I really hadn't meant any harm with my words, but now she was using them against me. Anger flaring past my rational side, as it so often did, Dumbledore's words of wisdom were lost on me as I snarled,

"But your tits sure as hell are!"

Her jaw dropped – like, actually dropped. The expression of shock on her face was priceless. Just priceless. Sirius bristled beside her, James covered his gaping mouth with a hand, Peter beaded up with sweat, and Remus inhaled sharply, grasping firmly onto my arm.

"Alex," he hissed lowly. In warning.

But it was too late. Both Marlene and I had reached our breaking points.

"How _dare_ you…!" Marlene began, her face beginning to redden, "I can't believe that I even have to _say_ this, but my breasts are real, thank you very much!"

"Not according to Sirius." I knew the instant the words left my lips that I'd gone too far. I just knew it. I knew that it was crossing the line. But it didn't stop me from saying it. Because I was mad – oh, I was just so, so MAD! Mad at Marlene for purposely trying to start a fight, mad at Sirius for doing nothing about it, mad that I couldn't finish my goddamned homework, mad that I'd lost my self-control, mad that somebody could make me so mad!

"What the bloody freakin' hell was that for?" Sirius roared at me. The other kids in the Hall glanced back at us.

"For putting your goddamn whore before your friends!" I shouted just as loudly, slamming my hands down on the table.

Marlene gasped when I gestured to her when I said 'whore' and opened her mouth respond, but Sirius beat her to it. He looked madder than I'd ever seen him – his eyebrows were furrowed deeply, his jaw was popped and his teeth clenched, and his grey eyes were a dark storm.

"WHAT?" Sirius shouted, rising so quickly from his chair that it was knocked to the ground. "What the freakin' hell are you talking about?"

"On the train!" I screamed back, standing up as well. "You let that freakin' two-faced ugly ass bitch stay behind when Remus and I had to sit on our own! You left us!"

"No, _you_ left _us_!"

"You weren't supposed to let us leave, you freakin' dumbass!" I shrieked, throwing my hands up in frustration. How freaking ignorant could this dumbass be? "We're your goddamned friends, for cryin' out loud! You were supposed to kick her ass out, or at least _try_ to control that bitch!"

"Stop calling her that!" he damn near screamed. "She's my freakin' _girlfriend_, you got that? You need to learn a goddamn thing called respect, Piers!"

"And I'm your _friend_!" I screamed. "I deserve some damn respect, too!"

"Respect for a girl that I never even wanted to become friends with? Hah!" He threw back his head. "That's rich!"

"…What do you mean, never wanted to become friends with?" I asked, my voice suddenly lowering, as his words cut me deep. His smirk was cruel.

"You can't possibly think that we just happened to befriend you because of your ever so charming personality?"

I actually found myself at a loss of words. But only momentarily, because now I was hurt, and when I was hurt I became even angrier and lost sight of everything. "And you can't possibly think I'm stupid enough to believe that you're dating McWhore for reasons other than screwing her whorish ass every night?"

His face was no longer handsome – no, no, it was contorted, twisted into one of absolutely fury and hatred. Marlene, too, looked equally angry. Shrieking, she jumped off her chair and in a single, fluid moment, drew her wand from her pocket and pointed it at me. She panted, her chest rising and falling quickly.

"Marlene!" hissed Sirius, reaching a hand out to stop her.

My hand flew to my own pocket, but Remus clasped onto my wrist with a bruising force. "Enough!" he growled lowly, his eyes going from mine to Marlene's. His voice was quiet but commanding. "This has gone too far."

There was absolute silence.

"…Let's go," Sirius said gruffly, drawing Marlene away into his arms. Her eyes threateningly stayed on mine, her hand lowering to her side, the wand still gripped tightly in it. My jaw was tight and my chin held high as I watched James and Peter go to Sirius's side. James looked like he simply couldn't believe what he'd just seen, and Peter looked like he could barely walk. Sirius's dark grey eyes went to Remus. "Remus," he stated simply, clearly. As if expecting him to leave with them. As if ordering him to choose a side.

Remus released my wrist, which now had a purple mark imprinted on it because he had held onto it so tightly. He turned to me, and I felt my heart plummet when I saw that his eyes were not sympathetic, that he did not grace me with a kind smile. No, no. Disappointment washed across his features, disappointment as I'd never seen it before. I shrunk away from his gaze, feeling tears brim my eyes.

"Remus—" I started, reaching a hand out toward him helplessly.

He shook his head. "I expected so much more from you, Alex." I flinched as if he'd hit me, withdrawing my hand, and the pain his words inflicted on me felt as if he had struck me.

He turned on his heels without another word. I didn't have a chance to call out to him, and even if I had, I wasn't sure if I would've. I watched the group of them leave, Peter being the only one to glance back at me.

Silence filled the Hall as their footsteps faded away. I stood frozen in place, unsure of what to feel, unsure of what to think.

"...Hey," a kid said quietly, "are you okay?"

I turned my neck to see the two kids sitting, looking rather scared. I didn't blame them one bit, considering what they'd just witnessed. One of them was half-standing from his seat. He was looking at me worriedly.

"...Yeah," I lied, clearing my throat. "Just peachy."

"...Okay," he replied, gathering his things. His friend stood up holding five rolls of parchment in his arms. "...Sorry about what happened," he added awkwardly, shuffling toward the exit. I nearly cracked a smile, but couldn't bring myself to do it.

"Me too."

He and his friend left quickly, their black cloaks flying behind them as they whispered hastily to one another. The door closed behind them.

Then I was alone. No Remus was there was to comfort me, as he had always been there for me. No James or Sirius were there to put a smile to my face. My mother was not there to cradle me in her arms and sing softly to me.

I fell to my knees and sobbed as I realized how truly, completely, and utterly alone I was.

* * *

><p><em>Well. That escalated quickly.<em>

_The ending actually ended up kinda sad, too. I suppose Alex had it coming for her, though. She just got so fed up with Marlene and Sirius that she just snapped. She still has much to learn in terms of maturity and keeping her thoughts to herself. Even I slapped my hand against my face as I realized the words I was making come out her mouth. She most definitely went too far this time. _

_And so the drama begins. _


	20. Chapter 20

It had been weeks since we'd last spoken.

It had been weeks since I'd heard Sirius's bark-like laugh, since I'd seen James grin and muss up his hair, since I'd seen Peter's watery eyes dart back and forth and hear his squeaky laugh.

It had been weeks since I'd seen Remus's look my way, weeks since I'd seen his beautiful liquid eyes, weeks since I'd seen his caring and genuine smile, weeks since I'd felt his arms tight around me, weeks since I'd taken in his warm and sweet scent.

I missed them. As much as I hated to admit it, I missed my boys.

But I was also mad at them – in fact, furious at them. I felt like I couldn't even forgive Sirius for what he'd done and said to me.

_"Respect for a girl that I never even wanted to become friends with?"_

I didn't know what it meant. No, I did, but at the same time I didn't. He said that they never wanted to become friends with me to begin with. If they never wanted to be friends with me at all, why the hell did they decide to 'befriend' me in the first place? Just to screw with the ignorant American? So it'd been all a lie? Had all those laughs we'd shared all been fake – all a lie, a hoax? I didn't like to think about it, but often times my mind wandered to such thoughts.

It wasn't just Sirius I was mad at. I was also furious at the other boys for siding with him. I understood why they would – they were all best friends, after all, and were obviously more attached to each other than any of them were to me – but the least they could've done was to _try _to work something out. They should've at least _tried_ to get in between us and stop the fight before it escalated.

But no. Of course not. They just decided to give me the cold shoulder instead.

Honestly, I wasn't sure who I was madder at – Sirius or the rest of the boys. Actually, I was probably madder at Remus than I was at James and Peter. James was Sirius's right hand-man; of course he would side with him. Peter would obviously side with them because he always had.

But Remus. I'd expected more from him.

Of all the people in the world, I would've expected him to take my side, or at the very least try to work something out. But he'd given me the coldest shoulder of all, giving me some bullshit about how _he_ expected more from _me_. Who the hell did he think he was? My freakin' dad?

Remus had always shown nothing but compassion towards me. He'd always seemed to genuinely care about my wellbeing. He'd always been kind and sweet and considerate, so I didn't understand why he'd just suddenly decide to leave me high and dry. I knew Sirius was important to him, but then what was I? Was I nothing to him? Was I nothing to them all?

I sighed loudly, rubbing my eyes with my palms. I tossed and turned in my bed, groaning lightly when I couldn't find a comfortable position. It was because of those damn Marauders that I couldn't get my sleep. I sighed again, very heavily, and looked up at the ceiling.

I knew I could apologize, but I refused to. _They_ needed to apologize to_ me_; not the other way around. I didn't care how immature that sounded, because it was true. Marlene had been the one to initiate the argument, and it had been that flippin' Sirius who'd never stood up for me, both on the train and in the Study Hall.

Sirius Black owed me an apology, and until I received it I would neither forgive any of the boys nor apologize to them.

And it was then that I realized that I may never speak to them again.

* * *

><p>I walked quickly down the stairs, a hair tie in my mouth as I messily pulled my hair up. As of recently, I've nearly doubled my time practicing for Quidditch. Although I would've loved to say it was because I was so committed to the team, in truth it served as a distraction. When I wasn't doing homework, reading the book Dumbledore had lent me, or hanging out with Stebbins and his gang, I would realize how lonely I was. So, instead of moping about, I decided to use my time wisely by practicing more often for Quidditch, and also working out more in general.<p>

Although I used to moan and groan about how terrible working out was, I'd grown accustomed to it, and had actually learned how to enjoy it. Every few days I would go for a long jog around the field, until I was huffing and puffing and nearly collapsing from exhaustion. Strange as it was, I loved it. It kept my mind clear; the only thoughts I had were about how I loved the crisp feeling of the morning air on my skin and the feeling of dew from the grass brush against my ankles.

I stopped myself short when I entered the Common Room. Bertram was slouched against the couch, and he looked up when he heard me approach. He had dark circles underneath his eyes, and his hair was a crumpled mess. His beard was thicker than usual.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Why the hell do you look like shit?"

He looked too tired to be mad. "I think I should be the one asking you that," he replied, with no real bite to his tone.

"I think you need some glasses."

He paused briefly. "And you need a boob job."

I smiled, much to both of our surprise. "I think I'll pass. Real boobs have a different feel to 'em, yah know? Besides, since they've caught your attention to begin with, they must already be pretty nice." I grinned a little at him, and grinned wider when his eyebrows rose at my response. Then I threw back my head and laughed when his eyes traveled down to my chest. "Sorry, buddy, but these aren't for you."

He scowled and flushed, obviously irritated that I hadn't gone off in a tyrannical rage. The fact of the matter was, I was comfortable with my body; I wasn't going to let some low life change the way I felt about myself.

"Then they must be for Stebbins, huh?"

I whirled around to see Avery leaned against the wall, a wide grin stretched across his pale face. I raised an eyebrow at him, folding my arms across my chest. Bertram let out a gruff laugh. I narrowed my eyes at him. Of course they would team up if it was against me.

"No," I said coolly, "they're not for anybody."

"Oh, don't be like that, Piers." Avery took a few steps toward me, sticking his hands in his pockets. I realized that I might not be able to make it to Quidditch practice this morning. "We all know that all the Marauders have had some fun with you." His grin became malicious. "And now that they're through with you, Stebbins decided he might as well buy your services too."

"Listen to me, yah little weasel," I snapped angrily, "I'm not a damn whore. That's your momma's job."

He was still smirking, though. I felt my face pale. This could not be good.

"If that's the case, then why aren't you clinging to the Marauders' side every second of the day anymore?"

"That's none of your business!" I said, my voice rising, my hands shaking. How dare they?

Their laughs filled the air. "'None of your business,' she says," Bertram said in a high-pitched, mocking tone. "I'd ask if I could buy some of your services, too, but you're just too dirty for my taste."

Dirty?

I twirled toward him, and in an instant I had my hands clenched onto his collar, shoving him hard against the couch, my legs on either side of him. But he only laughed.

"My, oh my, Piers, I just said that I _wasn't_ interested in your services."

The hands that held onto his collar began to shake. I wanted to punch him, by God I did. But if I did, they would tell Dumbledore what had happened, and I would admit it to be true, and I would be gone. After all the effort I'd put into staying at this school, to prove my parents wrong, I refused to let some damn smartasses get the best of me.

"Dumbledore must've bought your services, though, huh?" he continued, growing even more confident since I hadn't punched him. His eyes were alight with malicious glee. It made me feel sick to know that it gave him pleasure to pain me. "I mean, that must be the only reason you're still here. The story I gave him was very convincing, I assure you…knowing your tendencies, I'm sure he believed that you'd been the one to attack me to begin with, and to cast the spell at me. I knew it'd be far-fetched to say that Lupin helped you out, so I just said that he tried to stop you, but you just acted like the outta control animal you are."

"Dumbledore didn't believe you," I spat out, my voice shaking in barely-contained outrage, "because you're a filthy, low-life coward."

His eyebrows furrowed as his eyes flashed angrily. "Coward?" he hissed. "For doing what?"

"For lying. You couldn't suck it up and admit that you were the one to knock against me, that you were the one to start all that shit. You were scared."

His eyes were burning now. "I was not!" he shouted. Suddenly, he shoved me off him, and I stumbled backwards, my back hitting against Avery. Bertram stood up, his hands clenched into fists by his side. "You watch who you're talking to, you little bitch!"

"You think I'm scared of you?" I let out a short laugh.

He paused, and then smirked. "You might not be scared of me, but you better be scared of Avery."

"Avery? Hah, I'd sooner be scared of—" Something cool touched the nape of my neck; Avery had pressed his wand against my throat like a knife. I let out a sharp breath through my nose. "Huh. Guess you're not the only coward in this room," I said to Bertram. His eyebrows furrowed.

"What do you mean?" Avery demanded. He wasn't going to let me get away with insulting him. I knew that; it was a trait among Slytheins, I'd noticed. It was our pride that often got in our way.

"I mean that you're so scared that you can't even look me in the eye when you're threatening my life."

He grasped onto my shoulder with bruising force, twirling me around. He pressed the tip of his wand between my eyebrows. He was breathing hard, his eyes wide and wild.

"Calm down, Avery…" Bertram said slowly.

"Shut up!" he screeched, throwing a glance his way. His eyes quickly went back to mine. "What now, Piers?" He was kinda panting, like a rabid dog. "Huh? You think you're so tough now?"

"…Yeah, I do," I said, lifting my chin, continuing to stare him back in the eye. I wasn't scared of him.

He laughed shakily. "Oh, that's just a loada rubbish. Just admit it, and you'll save yourself the pain."

"I'm not scared of a coward."

"I'm not a coward!" he shouted, stomping a foot angrily. "I'm looking you in the eye, aren't I?"

"If you weren't a coward, you would let me have my wand. You would let this be a fair duel."

"A fair duel is what you want, huh?" He withdrew his wand, stuffing it deep into his pocket. "Fine. We'll duel tomorrow night."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You expect me to believe you after the last time you told me to meet you for a duel?"

His face flushed a little, as I'd damaged his pride, let alone in front of Bertram. "This time's different. If I don't show up, then you can go around the whole school telling me what a damn coward and a liar I am. And if you don't show up, I'll go around telling everyone that you slept with all the Marauders. Even that damn Peter."

"There's no need for that," I said, my eyes hardening, "'cause I'll be there."

He smirked widely. "Good. Tomorrow night, at eleven, out in the Forbidden Forest."

I arched an eyebrow high. Going past the curfew was no surprise, but… "The Forbidden Forest?"

"Yeah. You scared?" His smirk grew.

I scowled. "Of course not. I just thought that would be a weird place to have a duel."

"Nobody'll find us there," he explained. "Then we can_ really_ duel." The expression he wore made me feel uncomfortable, but I wasn't backing down now.

"It's set, then," I said curtly. He nodded.

"Not until you two shake hands," Bertram said, walking up to us. His arms were folded across his chest and his face was solemn. "It can't be official until you shake hands."

Avery and I looked back at each other. There was nothing but disgust written across both of our expressions as we slowly extended our hands out. His fingers were long and thin, his palm clammy. We shook hands quickly, immediately withdrawing. I made a show of wiping my hand on my pants as he rubbed his against his robe.

"The hell was all that shouting?" We all turned to see a sleepy looking Snape walking out of the boys' dormitory. He stopped rubbing his eyes and his mouth froze mid-yawn when he sighted me. His hair was as oily as ever, and it looked green in the light.

"These two were having a little too much fun," I said, gesturing toward Avery and Bertram, "and when I tried to break them apart so that a First Year wouldn't walk in on them and be scarred for life, they yelled at me for intruding. Thank goodness you weren't here either, or else I wouldn't have been able to get any of you off of each other!"

The glowers that were sent my way probably should've scared me, but they just amused me. Grinning, I began to head toward the exit. "Let's keep it PG in here!" I shouted before dashing out. The wall closed behind me, blocking out their angry, indignant shouts. Then I leaned against the wall, closed my eyes, and took a long, deep breath.

Tomorrow night, at eleven o'clock, I was going to duel against a wizard who had years and years of experience against me. I would have no Luke to guide me through this duel, to give me tips about the best spells to use.

…Oh God.

What did I just get myself into?

* * *

><p>Marlene was smirking at me. Just smirking. It was a wide, triumphant smirk. I stared blankly back at her, wondering why I wasn't mad and why I wasn't throwing my chair at her.<p>

She had her manicured hand on Sirius's arm, and she turned to nuzzle against him. I had the strong urge to puke. Sirius nuzzled her back, seemingly laughing and whispering to her. James, sitting beside Sirius, made a face of disgust, rolling his tongue out of his mouth and screwing up his eyes. I saw Remus's and Peter's shoulders shake, so they must've been laughing.

They weren't that far away from me. In fact, we still sat at the same lunch table. The only difference was that we sat at opposite ends. They sat near the middle, while Stebbins and I sat closer to the doors near the end.

Even though we were at a distance that all I had to do was stand up and walk a couple hundred feet, I felt like we were on different planets. That I was looking at another world from a telescope.

"Hey," Stebbins said, "you gonna eat that?"

I tore my eyes away from the other planet_ _– __the one that I once lived on – and smirked back at him. "Of course I am." I grabbed the ham sandwich before he could try to take it from me, and bit into it. He frowned at me.

"That was the last one!"

"First come, first served." I waggled the sandwich at him, grinning.

He pouted all cutely. "Aw, c'mon, love! Just a bite!"

"I don't want your nasty ol' germs all over my sandwich!" I scrunched my nose in mock disgust.

He frowned innocently. "You think I'm full of germs?"

"Just be happy that I don't think you're full of shit."

He threw back his head and laughed. He grinned his white teeth at me. "Good point."

I smiled at him, then glanced back at my sandwich. I sighed and extended it to him. "Here. Have a bite."

His eyes lit up like a child. "Really?"

"Yeah. Just one bite, though!"

"Thanks, love!" He took the sandwich and bit into it, taking his time to savor it and swallow. Grinning, he handed it back to me. "You wanna have some of my chicken pot pie?"

I shrugged. "Sure." I grabbed my fork, but he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, waggling a finger at me. He stuck his fork into his pot pie, and then extended his arm and fork toward me. I arched an eyebrow high at him. "You've gotta be kidding me," I said flatly. He couldn't possibly think that I would really let him feed me.

"I'm dead serious."

"You're gonna _be _dead if you try feeding me."

He frowned. "Oh, lighten up, won't you? I'm trying to be nice here!"

I sighed heavily. "Fine. But don't you dare think that this means anything."

"Of course not!" he said brightly. Too brightly.

I narrowed my eyes at him, but I still leaned forward and chomped into the pot pie. It was hot and burned my tongue. I swore, opening my mouth wide and fanning it. Stebbins laughed loudly.

"Whoa, love! You shoulda blew on it first!"

The guy next to me snickered, and I smacked him on the arm.

"Hey! No hitting!" Stebbins said, pointing a finger sternly at me. The corner of his lips threatened to break out into a smile.

"Oh, you don't care," I said nonchalantly, though the Gryffindor I'd hit certainly seemed to. He punched me back, none too lightly, so I swore and punched him again. So he punched me back. I growled lowly.

"Knock it off, you two!"

"You don't mind as long as I'm not hitting _on_ her, eh, mate?" the Gryffindor boy said, smirking at Stebbins. Stebbins smirked back.

"That's only partially true. I don't want you to lay a mark on the pretty lady, either."

"I can watch after myself, thank you very much," I huffed indignantly. Then I punched the Gryffindor again.

"Control your girl, will you?" the Gryffindor huffed, rubbing his shoulder and positively glowering at me. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Sorry, mate, no can do. Nobody can control her."

I smirked widely. He winked at me. "Damn straight," I said, probably too cockily, as I folded my arms across my chest. "And I ain't his girl."

"Oh?" the Gryffindor arched an eyebrow high. Then he smirked widely at Stebbins. "She too much girl for you, mate?"

I threw back my head and laughed, unable to help myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Remus and Marlene glance our way._  
><em>

"Of course not," Stebbins replied coolly. "She's just a hard one to catch; always slips through your fingers right when you think you got her. But let me tell you, I'm a damn good catcher." His eyes traveled to mine, and he smirked slightly. The Gryffindor softly whistled, then snickered into his food as he resumed eating.

"You may be a good catcher," I said smoothly, resting my chin against my hand, "but I'm better at dodging."

His smirk only widened. "We'll see about that, won't we, love?"

I smirked in return. "We will."

* * *

><p><em>The false memory charm is the opposite of the memory charm; instead of erasing memories, it creates false ones. The victim is not even aware that the memories they have aren't in fact their real memories – rather, they're…<em>

"Alex?"

I glanced up from parchment. Lily Evans stared back at me, her pretty green eyes wide in shock.

"Hey," I replied, quickly finishing the rest of my sentence. Then I smiled up at her, setting aside my quill. "What's up?"

"Um…nothing, I guess," she said slowly, approaching me warily. She was looking at me as if I'd done something crazy. I frowned at her.

"Why're you looking at me like that?"

"Sorry." Her expression became sheepish. "I just didn't know you did your homework. Let alone in the library."

I scowled at her, folding my arms across my chest. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She laughed softly. "Oh, c'mon. Even you know that you don't come off as the most scholarly type."

I shrugged. "Meh. You have your point. You wanna sit down?" I gestured to the chair across from me.

She smiled. "Thank you." She sat down, setting aside the books she'd been carrying. "So, how have you been doing?" The way she asked it didn't sound like the everyday 'how are you' conversation; her voice was slow and cautious. Instantly I knew why.

"I'm fine," I said, a little too defensively. She didn't reply immediately, adjusting her position in her chair and leaning over the table.

"I heard about what happened," she whispered, her green eyes trained on mine.

"From Blondie, I'm guessing?" She nodded. "Then I wonder why you're even bothering to speak to me. You guys are like best friends, right?"

"We're not _best_ friends, but yeah, we're pretty close," she replied. "Except…well, when she told me what happened, I thought she was at fault as much you were. She just kept pushing and pushing you; it's no wonder you exploded. Sure, you could've handled the situation better, but so could've she. And when I told Marlene that…"

"You told her that?" I said incredulously. Then I grinned widely. "I knew there was a reason I liked you!" Lily was _real_. She told the truth as it was and didn't screw around. That was what I liked about her so much.

"At least not everybody hates me, then." I raised an eyebrow questioningly at her. She sighed. "Marlene's furious at me. Told me that I wasn't her real friend if I wasn't taking her side or whatnot."

I snorted. "Damn drama queen." I paused, fidgeting with my fingers. Then I leaned over the table. "Have you talked to any of them recently?" I hated myself for asking, for appearing vulnerable and concerned, but I couldn't stop myself.

She didn't need to ask who I meant by 'them'. "Yeah, but not a lot. When I asked James about you, all he told me was that you and Sirius got into a huge fight. He didn't say anything else; he looked uncomfortable. They're acting their usual selves, though."

I felt a pang of disappointment. I knew it sounded terrible, but I didn't want them to be alright. I wanted them to be mad, at the very least – that they cared enough about me to be impacted by what had happened between us. But, apparently, they really didn't care.

"_You can't possibly think that we just happened to befriend you because of your ever-so charming personality?"_

"Alex?" Gently, she touched my arm. I snapped my head up, and forced a shaky smile.

"Yeah?" My voice sounded thick, so I cleared my throat.

"Are you okay?"

My throat felt tight. Lily was looking at me in concern – _me_. How long had it been since I've had a person stare at me with genuine worry and concern?

"…Did Marlene tell you," I said quietly, "what Sirius said to me?"

Lily frowned. "I don't think so. She said something about how he told you to back off his girlfriend? She mostly talked about the things you'd said to her and what she'd replied."

That was certainly no surprise; Marlene was so damn egotistical the only thing she could talk about was herself!

"He told me that he never wanted to be friends with me to begin with."

A brief, shocked silence followed. Lily's eyes were as wide as saucers, her pretty little mouth falling wide open.

"_What_?!"

"Ssh!" came a voice to our left. We both turned to see Madam Pince glaring at us, a finger to her lips. Lily mouthed 'sorry' before returning her attention to me. She leaned even farther over so I could hear her.

"Are you certain that's what he said?"

I gave her a look. "Of course I am!" I hissed, my voice rising unintentionally. I coughed and cleared my throat when Madam Pince turned her razor-sharp eyes my way. "It's not something you can easily forget," I murmured, more quietly, down casting my eyes.

Lily softened, her eyebrows crunching up all sadly. "I'm so sorry he said that to you. That's a low, even for Black." She paused. "…I'm sure he didn't mean it, though. He was just mad, so he just said something without really thinking about it. People do it all the time."

It was true. Whenever I would get into fierce arguments, half the crap I shouted was all gibberish. In the end, my friends and I would forgive and forget.

But this time was different. Sirius had crossed the line, and not only that, but I truly believed those words. And it hurt. It hurt so much to think that they hadn't been my friends all this time, after all. That everything had been acted out. That it was all a lie.

What I wanted to ask them was _why_. Why go through all that effort? Why bother wasting so much of your time with a girl you absolutely despise? I just couldn't wrap my head around it.

I shook my head. "As much I'd love to believe you, I can't. You didn't hear him, Lily. You didn't see the expression he wore." I shook my head again, as if it would erase the memories. The smile I forced on my face shook and collapsed as soon as it formed. "They never wanted to be friends with me. Everything we'd been through…it was all a lie."

I didn't want to see the look of sympathy in Lily's eyes as she leaned over and squeezed my hands in hers. "Oh, Alex…" she said softly. She reminded me of my mother. Her concern, her soft hands, her gentle voice. I realized that not only was Lily Evans a really nice person, but that she'd also make a terrific friend as well as a wonderful mother.

"…I better go." My voice cracked. I stood up, quickly gathering up my things and stuffing them into my bag. Lily stood up too.

"Are you sure? We can go do something, if you'd like."

I shook my head. I needed some time to myself.

"Nah." I hoped that my nonchalant attitude would assure her that I was alright. "I'll catch yah later, though." I smiled at her, even though the smile didn't reach my eyes.

"You let me know if you need anything, okay?" Her expression was still concerned. I forced my smile to widen.

"Thanks, I will. Bye!" And I shuffled out of there before Lily could get out another word.

* * *

><p>I hurriedly rushed into the classroom, fumbling around with the books and parchment in my hands.<p>

"Sorry for being late, Mr. Dinklemann, I got in a small situation—" I cut myself short when I saw that the desk my teacher usually sat at was empty. Instead, a lone boy sat at the desk near the front of the room, facing me. A torrent of emotions – anger, betrayal, yearning, shock – ripped through me when his eyes lifted to mine. I had the strong desire to run up to him and embrace him, but at the same time I wanted to slap him and scream at him. My voice caught in my throat.

"Mr. Dinkelmann's became suddenly ill today," Remus said. His voice was crisp and business-like. He didn't meet my eyes when he spoke; instead, he looked passed me. "So he asked me to come in to tutor you."

"…You did know it was _me _you're tutoring, though, right?" I arched an eyebrow high. He nodded. "And you actually agreed, even knowing that?"

"Of course," he replied easily, as if it didn't pain him to speak to me, as it did for me to speak to him. "I wanted to help out in any way I could. Now, take a seat, and we'll begin with—"

"Are you freakin' kiddin' me?" My voice was high and shrill. "You seriously expect me to sit here like nothing's happened these past few weeks and listen to your freakin' lecture?"

"Of course I do."

I felt as if the kid I was speaking to wasn't even Remus. No, no. This was a different kid. "I don't even know you anymore." My voice was a mixture of disgust and hurt. Who was this kid in front of me? I didn't even recognize him anymore. "The Remus I knew wasn't a fake bastard like the one I'm talking to." His eyes hardened. Perhaps he wasn't a robot after all. "The Remus I knew stayed true to himself; he didn't take sides."

"Unfortunately, I can't say the same for you," he snapped. He stood up, and I saw the storm of rage in his eyes. "You haven't changed a single bit since I've met you! You're still the same impulsive girl that you were in you first arrived here. I've tried, Alex, by God I've _tried_ to help you! I thought you'd been improving – thought you'd managed to control your anger more, watch your mouth a little more carefully – but you haven't changed at all!"

My eyes hardened at his insults. It hurt me to know that that was what he thought of me, but I wouldn't dare admit or show it. "At least I'm true to myself, through and through!" I shouted, thumping a fist against my chest. I stepped toward him. "Unlike you. Unlike you and the rest of your damn posse. You're all a buncha fakes!" I spat out the word 'fakes' in disgust. "Liars!"

He stepped out from behind the desk, heading toward me. "Liars? Fakes?" he shouted indignantly. "We've done nothing but be kind to you, Alex! In fact, a little too kind!"

We were close to each other now. The air between was thick and heavy. I realized that I'd never seen Remus so angry – at me, anyway. His eyebrows were furrowed deeply, his eyes had grown darker, and all his muscles were taut.

"Kind? Hah!" My laugh was sharp. "'Kind' my ass! You're all just a buncha manipulative bastards!"

"How? _How_? What have we done?"

"What have you done? _What have you done_?" I threw my hands up in fury. "You all lied to me about being my friends, that's what! I don't know what you all meant to gain from it – but I ain't afraid to admit it that it damn hurt! It hurt, Remus, it hurt!" The anger had faded from my voice; frustration and vulnerability had taken its place. My eyes were watering, but I didn't care what he thought of them. The first tear betrayed me, and his eyes followed it as it rolled down my cheek. I didn't see the distinctive concern and yearning in his eyes.

"…Alex." His voice was suddenly soft. There was the Remus I knew; the kind, concerned one. He relaxed, his body visibly loosening. His eyes softened, becoming more of the liquid ones that I found so beautiful. "You don't understand. What Sirius said wasn't—"

"Oh, no, I understand perfectly." I spat out the words. How dare he try to feed me more lies? "I understand that none of you really liked me, that none of you really wanted to become friends with me. That this was all just a lie. I understand."

"No." He shook his head. "No, it's not like that."

"I'm through with your lies." Another tear trailed down my cheek, and this time I wiped it away. I was sick of crying in front of Remus all the time, sick of being so vulnerable.

"…Alex…" He reached out toward me. There was a certain desperation about him, a certain desperation as if he wanted me to forgive him, as if he was going to apologize for everything. But I stepped back.

"You told me you would always be there for me." My voice had grown soft. He turned rigid at my words, his hand freezing, still outstretched. "But when I needed you most, you weren't there."

I smiled at him – a sad, disappointed smile. Then I turned and left. I half-expected that he would call after me, but he didn't, so I just kept on walking.

And I never looked back.

* * *

><p><em>Ugh. This chapter's kinda depressing. Not as dramatic as many of you probably hoped it would be (sorry to disappoint) but I wanted to show how this argument had impacted Alex. Clearly her feelings are all mixed up; she feels betrayed and hurt and furious, yet at the same time she does genuinely miss hanging out with her boys. The ending scene was a bit more dramatic, I guess, but also still sad. I've also made the guys give her the cold shoulder (instead of pulling immature pranks on her) to show that they're really mad at her too. And as for Remus snapping...well, I'm interested to hear what you guys thought about that.<em>

_As for for my updating schedule...school is over for me in three days, but I plan on working 10 hours a day 7 days a week (yeah, seriously), so I won't really have much time to work on this story. Honestly, I've just been so busy, and I'm going to be even busier...*sigh* So it'll probably be awhile until I update next, unless I write the next chapter within the next week. But I really want to finish my other Fanfiction story first, since I have only two chapters left for it, so I kinda want to push back the update for this. I dunno. Depends on my mood, really, I guess. Anyways, I get my point is this: don't anticipate me to update often. Maybe I'll end up updating in a few days, maybe it'll be a few months. I really don't know. Just try not to get your hopes up, okay?_

_I still love all of you for reading and reviewing! Keep those reviews coming! Just three more 'till the 100 mark! _


	21. Chapter 21

"Checkmate."

James frowned, scratching his head. Sirius grinned confidently at him.

"Your turn."

"I know! Just stow it for a second. I'm thinking!"

Sirius sighed, placing his hands behind his head as he leaned back against the headboard of his bed. "You might as well give up. I've really already won."

"Not yet," James insisted, shaking his head. His eyes were still intently on the game before him. "James Potter never gives up." The corner of his lips quirked up into a confident smirk. Sirius grinned back.

"Guess I gotta admire the perseverance, mate. It's always been a huge turn-on for me, yah know."

"Among my other wonderful qualities," James replied with a cocky grin. He glanced up from the board for a quick second to send Sirius a wink.

"Alright, alright," Peter said impatiently from his bed, where he was leaning over to watch the two play the game, "Just get on with the game, will you?"

"Patience, my dear friend," James said, wiggling a finger at him. "I'll play when I'm good and ready."

"No, you heard the man!" shouted the black knight on the chessboard. "Hurry up and make your move!"

James glared down at it. "If you want me to get you killed, then sure, I'll make my move right now!" He extended his hand to grab his knight, but it jumped up and down on its black square.

"Wait! Never mind! Take all the time you need!"

James grinned, withdrawing his hand. "That's what I wanted to hear."

Sirius shook his head, smiling to himself in amusement. As he and Peter waited for James to make his turn (Peter waiting far more impatiently, leaning so far over his bed it was a wonder he didn't just fall down) Remus came stomping into the room. His look of distress immediately caught their attention.

"What's wrong, Moony?" Sirius frowned, shifting on his bed so that he was sitting up straighter. His friend's panicked eyes trailed to his, and they hardened upon seeing him. James glanced over his shoulder, and his eyebrows rose at the expression Remus wore. Peter grudgingly looked away from the game board, and actually fell off his bed, landing with a loud thud. There was no laughter, as there usually would've been.

"What's wrong," Remus hissed, his voice low and deep, "is that you and Alex haven't made up yet."

Sirius's eyes hardened. "That's because she hasn't apologized to me or Marlene yet. I thought you understood that, Remus." James shifted on the bed, turning his body and attention fully toward the two. Things were going to get bad if they were going to begin referring to each other by their real names.

"Don't give me that excuse," Remus snapped. "You're being bloody immature! Grow a pair and apologize first!"

"Immature?" Sirius shouted incredulously, jumping off his bed. "Oh, give me a damn break!"

"Hey, now," James said, in a low tone, standing up slowly. "There's no need to get all hyped up about this. Let's just talk this through calmly."

"My arse we are," Sirius snapped, his eyebrows furrowed, his eyes still on Remus. "What did Alex say to you get you all riled up like this?" The Marauders were well aware of the fact that Remus had agreed to tutor Alex in Defense against the Dark Arts in place of Mr. Dinklemann. They'd agreed it would be too immature not to, and that as long as Remus kept his head up, he'd be fine. "I thought you weren't gonna fall for any of her bullshit."

"I wasn't planning on it," Remus admitted, softening, "but she's hurt, mate, she's hurt so much." There was a pain in his voice now, an acute and deep one, as if it penetrated to his very core.

"Yeah?" Sirius's voice was still harsh and cutting. "Well so am I. So's Marlene." Remus arched an eyebrow high, his look dubious. "Oh, c'mon, mate. You heard what she said, calling my girl a whore and calling me a terrible friend. She was being damn disrespectful, she was."

"But can you really blame her for saying that?"

James's hazel eyes widened in shock as Peter's jaw dropped. Sirius bristled and stiffened. It was a rare moment to see Remus snappy like that, and if he was that upset, the conversation with Piers must've been exceptionally bad.

"Excuse me?"

"C'mon now. I love you and everything, mate, but sometimes the things you do don't make any sense to me."

Sirius raised an eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest. "And I'm going to assume you're talking about what happened on the train. Honestly, mate, if you had a problem with the way I handled things, why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I'm not gonna tell you how to live your life; you make your own decisions, while I make mine. I didn't want to make a bigger mess of things by demanding that you throw Marlene out – if you wanted Marlene to stay in the room, then by all means, go ahead – but I wasn't also going to let Alex go sit on her own. But I couldn't help but wonder…why _didn't _you stop her from leaving? It's not like you to just abandon your friends like that."

Sirius sighed, unfolding his arms and relaxing slightly. He glanced away briefly. "It's because…Marlene sees Alex as a threat." He seemed uncomfortable admitting this, kicking the floor with his foot.

"Who doesn't see her as a threat?" Peter said, causing all three boys to turn their heads toward him. "I mean, c'mon! The girl uses anybody and anything as her own personal punching bag!"

Sirius shook his head, grimacing. "No, not like that. She sees her as a different kind of threat."

"You're not making any sense, you know," James said. "You're going to need to elaborate, Padfoot."

Sirius sighed heavily, finally glancing back up. "Alright, Marlene sees Alex as competition…for, well, me." He scratched the back of his head, glancing unsurely at Remus. "She's worried that we might end up becoming an…item."

Remus stared blankly at him. "Huh."

"So that's why I've been kinda cold to her lately," he explained hurriedly. "Around Marlene, anyway. I don't want her getting the wrong idea that we're most than just friends."

Remus's jaw tightened for a moment before he smiled. "Rest assured, then, that mistake will never be made again. I'll go tell Marlene myself that you and Alex will never get together, because she's mine."

James let out a low whistle, nudging Sirius in the side and snickering. "Yeah, Moony, you claim your girl!" he cheered, laughing. Remus smirked slightly.

Peter glanced around, confused. "Wait, you're dating Piers?"

James rolled his eyes, glancing back at his friend. "Not yet, you bloke, but they will be soon!"

"I'm not so sure about that anymore," Remus said heavily, walking backwards to sit down on the edge of his bed. He suddenly looked distraught and tired. "She's really upset at me right now."

"At you?" Sirius said incredulously. "I thought she was only mad at me!"

Remus shook his head. "No, she's mad at all of us. In fact, she thinks that this entire friendship was a lie."

"_What_?" James shouted. "It's not like Piers to be overdramatic like that! I mean, sure, it was a pretty big argument, but not enough to throw out a friendship over."

Remus shook his head again. "No, she has her reasons for thinking so. Remember what you said to her, Padfoot?"

Sirius plopped back down on his bed, glancing up at the ceiling to ponder. When he didn't respond, Remus reminded him gently,

"You told her that we never wanted to be friends with her to begin with."

Sirius's mouth opened into a perfect little 'o' as he recalled those words. "Right," he said, elongating his 'i'. "It was the truth, though," he quickly said defensively. "When we first talked to her, we never had any intentions of becoming her friends; you know we just needed to check if…well, y'know." He trailed off as Remus stiffened. "But I don't see how the fact we never _intended_ to become friends with her would mean that she was never our friend at all. I mean, that's just ridiculous! If we didn't like her, why would we have bothered spending so much time with her?"

Remus sighed, shrugging. "I don't know, mate. All I know is that, if we don't make up soon, she may not want anything to do with us anymore."

A long silence ensued.

"Then let's go." Sirius hopped off his bed, and everybody stared at him with bewildered expressions. "What?"

"Right now?" James asked, with a raised eyebrow. "You have any idea how late it is, mate?"

Sirius grinned. "Yeah, so? No better time than the present, they say, eh? Besides, we all know that Piers usually stays up past curfew anyway."

James and Remus exchanged grins. Sirius winked before rummaging through his drawer to pull out the Marauder's Map.

"C'mon, mates," he said, as James went to his bed to retrieve his Invisibility Cloak. "We've got a friendship to save."

* * *

><p><em>Hey, guys! So it turned out that I COULD update within a week, yay! I think it's mostly because so many of you were really understanding and supportive of me when I told you that I might not be able to update often. I guess this is my little way of thanking you for being to kind and sweet about it. Really, though, thanks to all of you who have been so generous and understanding about everything. You guys are the best!<em>

_Besides, since this chapter was considerably short, I wasn't going to make you wait two months for it! Especially since it didn't further the plot a whole lot. I just wanted to include this chapter to now show the Marauders' side and see how they all felt. I also felt it was important to show how Remus had been impacted by his meeting with Alex. Oh, and third person, yeah? I wanted it to be in third person so it's a little less biased, I suppose - more encompassing for all the boys, not just Remus. _


	22. Chapter 22

_Heh heh...uhh, hi guys. *Hides behind wall* H-how yah been?_

_ Seriously, though, I know it's been nearly half a year since I've updated, and I apologize for taking so long. The thing is, I'm a college student now, so I don't have as much time to work on my stories as I once did. I'll still try to update every chance I get, and I appreciate everyone's reviews, support, and patience. Thank you all so very much. _

* * *

><p>I watched my breath form a small cloud as I breathed heavily into the cold air. I stared up at the night sky, sighing softly. It was a pretty night, with the sky dark and cloudless, covered in millions and millions of stars. The moon was a bare sliver. I shifted my weight from one foot to another, accidentally dusting my boots with more snow. I returned my attention to the snow-covered forest around me, searching for any sign of life. When I found none, I sighed again and tapped my foot impatiently against the snow.<p>

It was too bad Luke had confiscated all my cigarettes (including the stash I'd hidden) before I'd arrived at Hogwarts. I had never been a heavy smoker, unlike some of my old friends (Jackie practically smoked a pack a day!), but I smoked from time to time, usually when I was relaxing with friends or when I was nervous. And tonight, a cigarette surely would've helped calm my nerves. But since I didn't have any, I had to compensate with gum, chomping away at it like some kinda animal.

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, and I turned to see Avery emerge from the trees. He stood out from his surroundings, a black dot in all the white. I tensed immediately, clenching my jaw and raising my chin. He stared at me with hard eyes, his lips drawn in a tight line. A long moment of heavy, tense silence wavered in the air.

"…Glad to see that you made it, Piers," Avery spoke at last, his lips curling. I spat my gum out towards him, and he glared at me.

"I believe _you_ were the one who chickened out on our last planned duel," I replied coolly, folding my arms across my chest. I wouldn't dare let him see how nervous I actually felt.

"I didn't chicken out!" he snarled, stepping forth. I noted that, like me, he had his wand gripped tightly in his hand. "I did that on purpose so that Filch would catch you!"

"Ooh, I see." I nodded, feigning thoughtfulness. "So not only did you skimp out on me, but you also wanted to act like a bigger pansy by snitching on me. I must say, it must take a lot of work to be such a sissy."

His eyes grew considerably darker, and he clenched onto his wand with such a grip that I was amazed it didn't snap in two. "And it certainly must take a lot of work being such a bloody bitch," he snarled. "Don't you ever get tired of it?"

"Nope," I grinned, shaking my head. "Can never get tired of seeing that ugly face of yours contort in anger. Really, it's rather amusing."

"Enough talk!" he shouted suddenly, making my eyes go wide in surprise. "You Americans and your bloody chatter! That damn mouth of yours never stays closed!" He breathed heavily, his chest heaving in exertion, and then smirked. "Suppose that's why the Marauders liked you so much, though, eh?"

My eyes hardened, and I tightened my grip on my wand. I wouldn't be surprised to find splinters in my palm afterwards. "I think you're the one with the bigger mouth, Avery. After all, you're always all talk and no action." I paused, smirking at how he bristled. "I think your buddy Snape would agree with me – about your big mouth, I mean."

"That's it!" he screeched, pointing his wand at me. He was beginning to pant again, his eyes wide and crazed. "It's about time I put you in your place!"

I pointed my wand at him as well, staring him dead-on. My posture tensed; I hunched over slightly, ready to fight. "I'd like to see you try."

He smirked widely. "Oh, I'll do more than just try."

And the duel began.

Avery raised his wand at the very same moment I did. My purple spell smashed into his red one, making an explosion so powerful that we were both knocked off our feet. My ears rang from the deafening sound and I blearily stood up, blinking at the world that spiraled around me. I almost fell back over after I stood up, but I grabbed a hold of the nearest tree and regained my balance. I squinted through the cloud of smoke that was slowly beginning to dissipate. Where was–?

A green spell flew threw the cloud of debris, making the air clear again, and I quickly had to jump down to the ground to avoid it. I looked up to see Avery advancing towards me, his wand lowered towards me, and I quickly rolled over in the snow to avoid his next attack. I ignored the explosion of snow it caused, pointing my wand at him and shouting, "_Flippendo!"_

My spell caught him unawares, and he was knocked off his feet and into the tree directly behind him. I scrambled to stand up. Avery was glaring at me with the utmost contempt, his eyes dark and violent. Without speaking, he straightened himself up and started to slash his wand about like a sword, sending a volley of spells my way.

I could feel the electricity spark in the air between us as we cast spells back and forth. Avery was ruthless, advancing and unrelentless with his curses. His eyes were ablaze with pure anger and hatred. This was the showdown he and I had been waiting for so many months; so many weeks of anger and hatred towards one another had finally exploded into this one battle.

"How's this for action, Piers?!" Avery laughed, sending another purple curse towards me. I barely deflected it. "Where's your tough facade now?"

I growled lowly, sending a curse towards him. He easily vanished it away and sent another three towards me. I deflected the first two but wasn't fast enough for the third; it cut through my cheek. My eyes went wide when I felt warm blood trickle down from the wound and onto my neckline.

"Not so fun being on the other side, is it?" Avery taunted. With a quick twitch of the wrist he had caused my wand to go flying from my hand and he was upon me less than a second later, shoving me hard against a tree. I hissed in pain and anger, struggling against him. He pointed his wand right in between my eyes, and I took in a sharp breath.

"What're you going to do, Avery?" I whispered, staring him dead-on. "You gonna kill me?"

"No," he replied. "I'm just gonna make sure you'll never mess with me again."

I laughed, much to both of our surprise. "You forgot one important thing, bud." I grinned widely. "I'm from Brooklyn."

Then I drew back my fist and let that sucker fly.

I heard a distinctive _crack_ when my fist collided with his nose. He screamed in pain and reeled back, releasing his grip on me in the process. The patch of snow beneath Avery was turning a vivid red, visible even in the dark of the night. I felt something warm trickle down my knuckles.

Avery slowly lowered the hand that he had been holding over his nose, and I saw that the lower half of his face was completely covered in blood. He slowly cricked his neck to the side. Breathing hard, I made my hands into fists and brought my body into a fighting stance.

"You may be able to throw a good punch, Piers," Avery said, slowly wiping some blood away from his face. "But around here, all that matters is how good you can cast a spell. Unfortunately for you, you're bloody terrible at it. Fortunately for me, I've had a lot of practice on First Years." He grinned widely, looking like the Devil himself for a split second, and I felt true fear run down my spine when he brought his wand down and shouted a curse that I had never heard of before, "_Sectumsempra!"_

Everything was red. Oh so red.

I could feel myself splitting open like a bag whose seams had split. Blood gushed out of me, blinding me, gagging me, and I was trying to scream but I couldn't because I was choking on my own blood, and as I fell down to the red snow, I realized that I was dying, dying and being dragged down to the depths of Hell for all my sins, the flames from the Devil's home coursing through my very body, eating me alive.

The world was breaking apart into bits and fragments, my vision turning everything into black and red splotches. I thought I felt something kick up against my face, but I was lost to it, I was lost to it all.

_"When are you ever going to learn?" _I could practically hear my father sigh.

_"I'm disappointed in you, Alexandria."_ I wondered if my mother had finally given up hope on me.

_"Why do you always have to make problems_?" I knew Luke was fed up with me, but I also knew he just didn't understand.

_"I expected so much more from you_." I remembered the way Remus's eyes had bored into mine, and how they had burned with disappointment.

Tears ran down my cheeks, mixing with my warm blood, and I could feel myself spiraling, spiraling down into an abyss of nothing, the nothingness that soon swallowed me whole.

* * *

><p><em>Officer Stan sat down in front of me. His belly had grown rounder and his moustache had grown greyer since the last time I'd seen him. His badge was as shiny as ever, though, and I reckoned he must've shined it every day. <em>

_ He laced his hands together and placed them atop his lap. "Alex," he greeted. _

_ "Officer Stan," I greeted in return, nodding. "It's been too long." I gave him what I supposed was a charming grin._

_ He gave me a stern look. "I was hoping the next time I saw you, you wouldn't be wearing those handcuffs."_

_ I frowned, lifting them up. "How 'bout you take 'em off for me, then?"_

_ He chuckled, shaking his head. "You're becoming more of a wisecrack as the days go on, huh? And that ain't a compliment," he added. I pursed my lips. He sighed, leaning over his chair and towards me. "Y'know, you're really starting to worry me, missy. It ain't gonna be long before you find yourself in some real trouble."_

_ I snorted, rolling my eyes. "This is about as bad as it gets."_

_ He shook his head, leaning back in his chair. "This is about as _good_ as it gets." I frowned. "You're lucky I haven't thrown you in a jail cell yet."_

_ I grinned widely. "That's because I'm your favorite convict!"_

_ "You're funny, girl, I'll give you that." He folded his arms across his chest. "But I'm tired of you treating all of this as a game. Life isn't a game, Alex."_

_ "I never said it was."_

_ "But you're sure as hell acting as if it is." He straightened up and looked me dead in the eye. "Everyone's actions have consequences to them, and if you keep acting the way you are, you're gonna end up in a heapa shit."_

I wondered how Officer Stan was holding up. It had been quite a while since I'd last seen him – at least a year – and I wondered what he would say if he saw me now. Perhaps it was a little silly, but I always felt as if I shouldn't disappoint him (which probably didn't work out, considering all those times I'd been taken to the station). But even after all those years, even after all those illegal things I'd been involved in, he had never lost hope in me. He was one of the few people who had never given up on me. I wished that I could thank him for everything he'd done for me – even I knew that he had to go out of his way to keep me out of jail – and decided that I would thank him the next time I saw him. And, of course, get him a box of Brooklyn's finest doughnuts.

The sound of something shifting snapped me out of my thoughts. I opened my eyes and blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the dark. A few of the lanterns on the other side of the room were lit up, and I was able to see a row of white beds laying alongside the wall. I frowned, recognizing the set-up, just unsure where I'd seen it.

I heard some sort of movement again. I grabbed the pillow I'd been lying on (apparently I was on a bed) as if it would serve as some sorta weapon, and slowly turned towards the right. My eyes widened and the pillow fell out of my hands at what I saw.

"Remus?!"

I started coughing as soon his name had left my lips. My voice sounded hoarse and strange to my ears, my throat painfully scratchy and dry. It felt as if it had been months since I'd last spoken.

I must've shouted louder than I'd thought, because Remus practically toppled off the chair he'd been sleeping on. He blearily blinked and rubbed his eyes as he straightened himself up.

"What the bloody…" he began mumbling, but stopped as soon as he saw me. His eyes widened in shock. I noted the dark shadows underneath them. "Alex?!" His voice was nearly as hoarse as mine. "You're awake…!" He stumbled off his chair and kneeled down by my bedside. It was then that I realized what a complete mess he was; his hair was disheveled, his chin had grown stubble, and his clothes were a crinkly mess. "You're awake," he repeated, much softer this time, his voice filled with great emotion.

"…Surprise," I barely managed to say, before breaking out in a terrible coughing fit. Remus moved towards the bedside table – I noticed that my wand was there too – and poured me a glass of water. He handed it towards me, and when I reached out to grab it I realized that my hands and arms were bandaged. "What…" I tried to ask what had happened to me, but it pained me too much to speak.

"I'll tell you after you drink your water," Remus replied softly. I nodded and took the water, but it nearly slipped from my grasp; my hands were too shaky. I wasn't even sure why they were shaking, since I wasn't nervous or anything. Remus gently took the cup out of my hands and leaned in towards me, lifting the cup to my lips. Gratefully I drank from it. The water felt cool and refreshing down my throat, soothing the burning sensation I had felt in it.

"Better?" he asked, placing the cup away.

"Much," I said. My voice was still scratchy, but at least it didn't hurt to speak. "Thanks."

He smiled but didn't respond, brushing some loose strands of hair away from my face. I recalled that I was supposed to be upset at him from our last fight, but I didn't have the heart in me to pull away. "I'm so happy you're alright," he said softly. "I was so worried..."

"...What happened to me?" I asked, my voice a bare whisper.

"You don't remember?" he asked gently.

_I could taste my own blood, coppery and salty, as it ran down my face and into my mouth. It blinded me, gagged me, and I keeled over, trying to scream, trying to cry out for help…_

"Oh, no, I remember. Just…not what happened afterwards."

"Unfortunately, I remember every detail…" His voice grew distant. Fear flickered in his eyes. "When I get my hands on Avery…" His voice darkened considerably, and the fear in his eyes turned into anger. There was a familiar glint of amber in them.

"Remus," I reminded him gently, placing a hand against his arm. He softened and nodded.

"Sorry." He sighed. "I'll tell you everything…"

_He wasn't sure if he had ever been so terrified in his entire life. His first transformation had always been the most frightening experience of his life, but this certainly was as frightening, if not scarier, than that._

_ They'd seen Avery and Alex on the Marauder's Map. At first they'd only seen Alex alone, but they saw that Avery was approaching, and they immediately knew that meant trouble. So they'd rushed to the Forest as quickly as they could, but they were too late. Alex was screaming and lying in a pile of blood when they had reached her. _

_ Remus rushed to her side, accidentally kicking snow on her, and Peter rushed after him to help. James and Sirius flung themselves onto Avery, knocking him down into the ground. _

_ "What did you do to her?!" James screamed. He hit Avery hard in the jaw._

_ "Only what she deserved!" Avery screamed. His voice was high-pitched and shrilly, his face pale and beaded in sweat._

_ "Go and get Professor McGonagall," James told Sirius, holding Avery down. "You're the fastest of us all. Hurry, now!"_

_ Sirius nodded and dashed off, turning into his animagus form as soon as Avery couldn't see him. _

_ Remus was murmuring reassuringly to Alex, even though he was certain she couldn't hear him, as he tried healing her wounds. The moment he stitched them up, though, the cuts would reopen. This was dark magic. Sweat beaded up on his forehead and tears formed in his eyes as he continuously tried to heal her wounds. Peter was also trying to help, stitching up the wounds only for them to split again._

_ "C'mon, dammit!" Remus said angrily, waving his wand. Tears fell from his eyes. "I won't lose you, Alex!"_

_ James rushed over to them, bending down beside them. His eyes widened at what Remus thought was in shock at the amount of blood she had lost, when in fact his eyes had widened in recognition of the curse. "This is Snape's new signature curse," James explained, whipping out his wand. "He tried using it on me and it hit the poor lad behind me. Here, I know what to do." Remus had trouble backing away, but he knew he had to. _

_ "Don't worry," he whispered to Alex as James muttered a spell that sounded like a lullaby, moving his wand over her wounds. Her eyes were closed and her breaths were shallow. He took her bloodied hand, the tears running faster down his cheeks and blurring his vision. "I promise we'll take care of you."_

"…By the time Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall arrived, James had managed to stop the bleeding. But you were still in a critical condition since he hadn't gotten you to you immediately; you'd already lost so much blood." Every word seemed to pain him. "And you've slept for three whole days now, night and day. I was so worried…I thought…" Tears were forming in his eyes and his voice cracked. "I thought I lost you."

The way he spoke and the tears in his eyes just made me want to hug him and never let go. "But you didn't," I whispered, leaning towards him. "I'm right here, Remus."

The tears rolled down his cheeks in pretty droplets. "All this time...all I could think about was our last argument...and how I'd made you cry...how I'd hurt you." He leaned in towards me, brushing his fingers across my cheek. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. His voice was filled with great emotion, his eyes searching deep into mine. "I'm so sorry for all the pain I've caused you."

I smiled softly at him, running my fingers through his hair. I leaned in towards him and gave him a gentle kiss on the nose. "It's alright," I whispered back. "I forgive you." I'd forgiven him the moment I'd seen him fall out of his chair.

More tears fell from his eyes and he let out a muffled sob as he suddenly embraced me. I hugged him back tightly, running my fingers reassuringly along his back, murmuring softly to him. He cried for a while, and I held him the entire time. For once, I was the anchor to support him when he needed me.

* * *

><p>I flipped through the ridiculously huge book (the thing weighed at least five pounds!), sighing to myself. I was released from the Hospital Wing a few days ago, and I had a lot of homework to catch up on. Luckily Dirk and Stebbins (he was currently searching for a book) were there to help me along the way.<p>

I hadn't seen Remus since I'd left the Hospital Wing, but that was because I'd asked for him and the boys to give me some time for myself. I needed to get the rest of my life back together before I could deal with them. Remus, of course, was very understanding. He assured me that we could talk whenever I was ready, especially since it would require a great deal of "time and privacy." Whatever that meant.

The table shuddered when Stebbins placed a book down on it. I raised an eyebrow at the book before I raised an eyebrow up at him.

"You've gotta be kidding me."

"It's not like you have to read the whole thing," he reassured, taking a seat across from me. "Just look up in the index what you need to find."

"Even that'll take forever," I grumbled, eying the book with distaste. I flipped the page of my current book, but my finger caught on the edge of the paper. I realized it had cut through my finger when I felt a sharp pain in it. I swore loudly (I thought I heard Madam Pince hiss a "ssh!") as I watched the cut begin to bleed. "At the rate I'm bleeding at," I grumbled, taking out a bandage from my bag and wrapping it around my finger, "I'm gonna dry out like a raisin."

Stebbins laughed softly. "Maybe this can make it better." He leaned over the table, gently took my finger, and placed a soft kiss against it. I had to admit that it was a charming and cute gesture.

"It only made it worse," I teased, giggling.

He pouted. "Oh? Then what about this?" He leaned further over the table, his eyes fluttering shut, and it took me a second to realize that he was leaning in towards my lips.

I raised my eyebrows. "Whoa there, cowboy." I placed my fingers against my mouth, stopping him from advancing any further. His eyes opened and his eyebrows furrowed. I felt his lips turn downwards into a frown. "I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself."

He backed off a fraction of an inch so he could speak. "Oh, really?" He looked up at the ceiling, and, frowning, I glanced up as well.

There, dangling off a nearby bookshelf, was a mistletoe.

I looked back down at him, arching an eyebrow high. He was smiling charmingly. "You've gotta be kidding me."

He frowned innocently. "What? It must've been left over from Christmas."

"It's nearly been two months since Christmas."

"Guess they forgot to take it down." He leaned in towards me again.

I sighed, folding my arms across my chest and backing away. "You're not going to get a kiss from me, Josh."

He pouted. "Why not?"

"Because I said so." I pointed my wand towards the mistletoe and watched as it turned black and disintegrated into bits of dust. Stebbins appeared crestfallen, sighing as he sat back down. "It was a nice attempt, though," I added. "Any other girl woulda swooned over this."

"But not the one I want." There was a steeliness in his voice, not of anger, but of determination. His blue eyes met mine with a fierce intensity.

"That's because I'm not like other girls," I reminded him with a smile. He raised his eyebrows but said nothing. "Now, are you going to help me with my assignment or what?"

"Maybe if you agree to go on another date with me."

Let's just say that it was a lucky thing Stebbins didn't get knocked out by the five pound book I swung at him.

* * *

><p>Sirius Black, James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. Padfoot, Prongs, Moony, and Wormtail. The Marauders. My boys.<p>

It felt strange to walk into a room with all of them together again. It had nearly been two months since we'd all looked each other in the eye, let alone speak to one another (Remus being the exception). They all looked at me as I entered, and suddenly I felt like a prisoner entering a courtroom.

"Alex!" grinned Remus, standing up. "Come, sit down!" He extended his hand out towards me and I took it, letting him pull me along towards the others. I could feel all their eyes on me, making me feel a little creeped out and uncomfortable. "So," Remus said once I sat down, "I think we have a lot to talk about."

"That's an understatement," I muttered beneath my breath. James snickered and Sirius smirked slightly. Well, maybe it wouldn't go as badly as I thought it would.

"Would you like to go first, Sirius?"

"Geez, Moony, you're making this seem like some sorta conference or something," Sirius complained. I silently agreed.

"Sorry," Remus smiled, scratching the back of his head. "It's just…I dunno, I guess I just want this to go as smoothly as possible."

I smiled. That was so like Remus.

"Well it's weird, so cut it out."

"Oh, alright."

Sirius cleared his throat, redirecting his attention towards me. "Anyways, Piers, I just wanted to tell you that I was sorry for the way that I treated you." He awkwardly scratched the back of his head. Obviously Sirius Black was not one to apologize to his faults very often. "I…I said some things I shouldn't have and didn't mean–"

"Like the entire 'I never wanted to be friends with you' deal?" I interrupted, arching an eyebrow. Yes, the boys had saved my life. Yes, that meant that I should've played nice. But it had been well over a month since our argument, and I had a right to speak my part.

"Yeah, about that, you blew that whole thing _way _outta proportions –"

"Outta proportions?" I repeated indignantly, my voice unintentionally rising. "You told me you guys never even wanted to become friends with me!" Weeks of hurt and anger were suddenly being released from my system. "Do you have any idea how much that hurt me?!"

Something in his blue-grey eyes flickered. "Listen, just because I said we never _intended_ to become friends with you doesn't mean that we regretted becoming friends with you–"

"Now just what the hell does that mean? So, what, was I just supposed to be some prank to y'all?" Out of the corner of my eye I saw Remus open his mouth, probably to tell me to calm down, but James shook his head. "Prank the new American girl, hmm? Let's trick her into thinking she's friends with us and get a bloody laugh outta it!" I mocked his English accent, cocking my head back and forth.

"No, it wasn't like that!" Sirius said, his voice rising as well. "It's because we…we…" He glanced towards Remus.

"It's because we _what_?"

Remus sighed heavily, turning towards me. "Alex, there's something I have to tell you." I heard a nervous undertone in his serious voice. I saw the hint of fear hiding behind the determination in his eyes. "And it may…shock you a bit."

"Moony…" James murmured. "You sure about this?"

Remus nodded. "Positive. She has a right to know, mates, and I trust that she will keep our secret."

I frowned, looking back and forth at all of the boys. Sirius's expression was solemn, Peter was sweating bullets, and James nodded. Just what could Remus possibly be talking about that was so serious? I turned fully towards him. "…What d'you wanna tell me?"

He took a deep breath, briefly closing his eyes. When he opened them, he gently took my hands in his. His liquid brown eyes stared deep into mine. There was more determination in them this time, but I still saw the smallest amount of apprehension. Then he took another deep breath and said,

"I'm a werewolf."

* * *

><p><em>So, quite a few things happened in this chapter. Alex and Avery finally have their duel, the Marauders save her life, and Remus reveals his furry little secret. <em>_As for Alex's reaction? You'll just have to wait for the next chapter. ;) _

_Again, I thank every one of my readers and reviewers. Until next time!_


	23. Chapter 23

The room became dead silent. The only audible noises were the tense breathing of the boys as they awaited my reaction.

Then I snorted.

Everybody's mouths dropped simultaneously so that it looked really rather comical; the moment was picture-worthy. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or be a bit bothered by the way they seemed genuinely shocked.

I continued on nonetheless, certain that they were just yanking my chain like they always did. "Yeah, and I'm Batman." I rolled my eyes. "Is this your idea of a joke? Because you guys have obviously stepped down your game–"

"Alex," Remus said firmly, returning my attention to him. "I want you to listen very carefully to what I'm saying." I frowned, wondering why he was still playing along with his werewolf façade. "I know it sounds ridiculous and silly to you, since werewolves don't 'exist' in the Muggle world. But now that you've seen that witches and wizards are real and do exist, why can't werewolves too?"

I stared at him silently, realizing that he was actually serious and that he actually had quite the valid point. After all, wizards and witches existed, paintings could walk and talk, and ghosts could float through me. Why couldn't werewolves be real too?

But Remus Lupin, a werewolf?

"That's why I'm gone so often," he continued slowly, watching my expression very carefully. I had the impression that he was trying his best not to scare me. "I leave every month on the full moon for my transformation."

...That actually made sense as to why he was always gone.

"And these scars?" He pointed at the ones that ran across his face. "I gave myself these." I frowned in confusion. "You see, since I don't have any humans around me to bite or scratch, I scratch myself. Luckily it's not as bad as it once was…" He smiled towards the rest of the boys, and the three of them smiled back.

My frown deepened. I was still trying to make sense of this all. So far, though, Remus's claims have made sense, and that just made me feel all the more confused, because then that would mean that werewolves were real and that Remus was one of them. "What d'you mean?"

"They're Animagi," Remus said. I arched an eyebrow questioningly. "They can change into animals," he explained. "They keep me much calmer on my transformation nights."

My eyebrow rose higher. First he expected me to believe that he was a werewolf, and now he expected me to believe that the rest of the boys could transform into animals? It was if we were taking a trip through Dumbledore's fairytale book. "You expect me to believe that they're shapeshifters?"

"Yes, yes I do."

"Actually, you've seen us in our animal forms before," James spoke up. I turned towards him, eying him skeptically. "Do you remember that night in the Forest when you ran away?"

"…What about it?" I asked slowly, wondering where he was planning to go with this.

"The dog and the stag you saw," he explained, "that was Padfoot and me."

My eyes widened. I recalled both of them clearly. The stag had driven the wolf-creature away while the dog had led me back to the castle. I remembered thinking about how the dog's eyes had stood out to me, so blue-gray and full of expression that they had appeared human-like.

"You saw me that night, too," Remus said very softly. He was avoiding eye contact with me. "I was the one who scratched you." He shifted uncomfortably, guilt and shame evident in his voice and body language.

So that wolf-creature that had chased and attacked me that night in the Forest...it had been a werewolf? Not only a werewolf, but it had been _Remus?!_ I shook my head, sure that there had to be some other explanation – sweet, gentle Remus couldn't possibly be a werewolf! – but I could find none.

"You weren't in control of yourself, mate," James said gently. "Don't blame yourself like that."

Remus looked as if he wanted to argue, but he said nothing.

"…That's the reason we befriended you," Sirius said to me, clearing his throat, his voice and expression solemn, "to make sure that he hadn't bitten you. None of us were sure just what had happened between you and Remus that night, and so we decided to keep a close eye on you to see if you were showing any symptoms. Later we found out that Remus had only scratched you." I heard Remus mutter a dark "only?" underneath his breath. "So that's what I meant when I told you that we never _initially_ became friends with you because of your personality. But then, well..." He shrugged. "The more time you spent with us, the more you grew on us."

All the puzzle pieces were clicking together.

For one, it actually – as crazy as it sounded – made sense that Remus was a werewolf. It explained why he was always gone and moody around the full moon, why he was covered in scars, why his eyes glinted amber when he was mad. It also made sense in terms of what Sirius had just said – it was a really rather valid reason as to why the boys would've ever approached me in the first place, even after seeing what I'd done to Marlene.

It all made perfect sense.

Yet at the same time it made no sense at all. Werewolves were real and people could morph into animals? Hell, for all I knew, maybe there was also a herd of flying pigs conspiring to take over the world.

"This is so much to take in," I muttered, rubbing my temple.

"I know," Remus said softly. He seemed as if he was going to take my hand – he had reached out towards me – but then changed his mind, withdrawing his hand. I frowned at the motion. And then I realized why he had done it: Remus was worried that I was scared of him now. "But it's all true."

I just had to take one look into Remus's eyes to know he wasn't lying.

So Remus was a werewolf. He had been one the entire time I'd known him. He had been the one that had attacked me that night I had run away so long ago.

Yet, when I stared into Remus's face, I didn't see a ferocious creature. I just saw Remus.

"…So what?" My mouth was forming the words before I realized it. Remus's eyes widened.

"I don't think you understand," he said, shaking his head. "If I'd bitten you that night, you'd be a werewolf right now."

"Oh, no, I understand perfectly." His eyebrows furrowed. "But I'm not scared of you, if that's what you expected me to be."

I hadn't even realized what I thought of the entire situation until I'd said it.

I could see anger and impatience flicker through his eyes. He didn't think I understood the gravity of the situation or was taking him seriously. "But you _should_ be scared of me. I'm dangerous! You've seen what I'm capable of!" He paused, breathing hard. His voice dropped. "I hurt you, Alex, and I'm fully capable of attacking you again."

So that was where all his anger was coming from. He was upset with himself for attacking me that night. "Remus..." I gently took his hand in mine. His eyebrows rose slightly. "You can't blame yourself for what happened. You weren't in control of yourself."

He shook his head, eyebrows furrowed. "But it _is_ my fault. That werewolf that attacked you was _me_; nobody else."

"But it wasn't really _you_."

He frowned. "I don't think you–"

"God dammit, don't you dare say that I don't understand!" He rose his eyebrows in surprise at both my statement and the anger that lied within it. "I _know_ you, Remus. You're...you're just so many things. Sweet, dedicated, smart, kind, caring, understanding...and I know I'm always safe around you because you're always looking out of me." He stared at me, wide-eyed. "That werewolf? That's not you. Sure, being a werewolf is a part of who you are, but that's all it is – a part. A part of you that you have absolutely no control over. You two might exist in the same body, but that's not the real you. You're Remus freakin' Lupin, not Remus the werewolf." I let out a long breath after my rant. "And you're pretty damn amazing."

He stared at me silently, his eyes still wide as orbs, his eyebrows raised. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed James and Sirius smile and nod approvingly, nudging one another.

"...Besides," I smiled. "You know I'm addicted to danger, baby." I winked. Sirius laughed his signature laugh, the one that I had missed so much, and whistled. James snickered and clapped.

Then Remus cracked a smile. He shook his head and chuckled softly. "You're just something else, Alex, you know that?"

I threw my head back and laughed in surprise. "So I've been told."

His smile softened and he squeezed my hand. "Really, though," he murmured. "Thank you. It...means a lot to me, more than you know."

I smiled. "Yeah, well, _you_ mean a lot to me." I nudged him gently. He blushed slightly, glancing away. Wasn't he just the cutest thing?

"Aww," James cooed after a moment, "Aren't you two just precious?"

I laughed as Remus only blushed harder. "You jealous?"

He snorted. "Of course not! What is there to be jealous about? Moony _is_ mine, after all."

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh, is that so? Then I hope you don't mind if I have Lily all for myself..."

"W-wait a second! You don't have to get ahead of yourself!"

Everyone other than James laughed. He pouted at us all.

"Oh, gosh," Sirius said, once he'd stopped laughing. "We've missed you, Piers." He softened.

"Yeah," James agreed, softening, "things haven't been the same without you." He paused, sighing. He ruffled his hair, making it stick out even more than it already did. "Listen, I'm sorry I didn't stand up for you that day in the Study Hall. I just…" He glanced sideways at Sirius.

"Me too," Peter squeaked. I figured that was supposed to serve as his apology.

"I understand," I said softly. If James had stepped in between me and Marlene, it would've meant that he would be taking my side instead of Sirius's. By staying out of it, he wasn't taking anybody's side. Perhaps it had been selfish of him, but at the same time the argument between Marlene and I had had nothing to do with him; it hadn't been his place to intervene. "And…it's alright. I forgive you two."

I felt all of our gazes fall expectantly on Sirius.

He cleared his throat. "Well, I think I apologized earlier, but…" He scratched the back of his head. "I really am sorry for the things I said to you, Alex." I heard the sincerity in his voice and saw it in his eyes. "I never really meant them; I just said them out of anger."

"I'm sorry too," I smiled softly. "I shouldn't have snapped the way I did."

Sirius shook his head. "No, don't be sorry." He hesitated. "I know Marlene was pushing it. And I'm sorry I did nothing to stop her. I should've stopped it all before it escalated."

My eyebrows rose in shock. Sirius Black was admitting that his girlfriend was a bitch?! This day was just full of surprises, wasn't it? "Then why didn't you?"

His eyes flickered. He sighed heavily and scratched the back of his neck. He looked the other way, avoiding my eyes. "Because she thinks that we might end up getting together," he muttered, his voice barely audible.

Remus bristled slightly and James bit his lip. Peter glanced back and forth at each of us curiously.

"..._WHAT_?!" I shouted, my eyes going wide. I wasn't sure whether to feel amused at Marlene's ridiculous assumption or be annoyed and angered by it.

He nodded, shrugging sheepishly. "That's why I've been treating you like shit whenever she's around."

"About time you admitted that," I muttered. He sent me a look. "So, what, you choose her side so it doesn't seem like you're favoring me over her?"

"Exactly." He nodded. "If I'm nicer to you than I am to her – no matter how ridiculous she acts – she's going to think that I'm going to leave her for you. And that's something we both don't want her to think."

He had his point. If Marlene had thought that Sirius and I had a thing going on, she would make my life a living hell. And poor Sirius wouldn't get laid.

"That girl has some serious jealousy issues," I said, rolling my eyes in exasperation. "You better watch your back, man. The jealous ones are always the craziest."

"I think you need to watch _your_ back," James said. 'You don't know how crazy she can really get', his eyes read. I doubted that this was the first time Marlene thought that somebody was trying to steal her man. God, she was just such a desperate, clingy little whore!

But I decided not to mention my thoughts to Sirius, knowing it would just make him mad all over again. So I rolled my eyes instead. "I shouldn't have to! For God's sake, Sirius and I are just friends! Hell, you're like my freaking brother!" Sure, Sirius was a handsome guy, and he was fun to be with, but I couldn't imagine ever dating him. The relationship between us could never be romantic; he and I just didn't have that certain bond. "Just the thought of dating you makes me wanna puke."

He pursed his lips slightly. "Damn, don't you think you're going _a little_ overboard?" Clearly it was a bit of a blow to his ego; I bet he couldn't imagine any girl – even if that girl was me – say no to him.

"Actually, I think it's a surprise she hasn't thrown up by now," James teased. Sirius scowled at him and Peter snickered.

Remus appeared to be having the time of his life. He was beaming and practically bouncing where he sat. I wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly broke out in some cheesy song and dance. Just what was going on with him?

James also noticed his behavior and smirked slightly at him. "And just what are you grinning about, Moony?"

"Hmm?" He appeared confused but then realized he'd been caught grinning like a fool. "Oh! Uh, I'm just happy that we're all getting along again!" He tugged on the collar of his shirt and smiled lopsidedly.

James and Sirius exchanged smirks. Peter, as always, appeared confused. I too was lost, knowing that there was something else Remus wasn't saying and that the boys knew about, but unsure as to what exactly what it was.

"Yeah, it's nice having the gang back together, isn't it?" Sirius said before I could speak on the matter. "After you left, it always felt as if something was...missing."

"Yeah," James grinned, ruffling up his hair. "It hasn't been the same without you constantly threatening us." Peter nodded vigorously in agreement. I scowled at them and James laughed.

"Yeah, well, things haven't been the same without you guys either," I muttered, folding my arms across my chest. Before anybody could "aww" me I continued, smirking, "I've had so much more fun without y'all!"

There was a sudden uproar from James and Sirius, both of them instantly firing up, and I threw my head back and laughed.

"Oh, y'know I'm just kidding," I said, just to pipe them down. I rolled my eyes. "You know I missed you guys."

"Aww, look at you, Piers," Sirius cooed (I knew he would act like this!). "Aren't you just adorable?"

"Just don't say that around Marlene," I joked, smirking, "or you may never be able to have kids." I nodded towards the area that I was implying Marlene would damage.

James and Peter burst out laughing (I was surprised that Peter actually understood my joke). Remus chortled and shook his head.

"Sound advice," Sirius muttered, folding his hands across his lap. Smooth, Sirius, very smooth. Then he laughed and winked at me. "It's nice to have you back, Piers."

I smiled softly. "It's nice to be back."

* * *

><p>"PIERS!"<p>

I had barely entered the Common Room when I heard the shout of my name. I raised an eyebrow at Avery, who was marching towards me with a dark glower on his face. I noted that his nose was no longer broken and that he had no battle scars; Madam Pomfrey must've cleaned him up. "Aww, Avery," I cooed, my lips curling in disgust as I adjusted my book bag, "You missed me?"

He looked as if he wanted to slap the daylights outta me. His teeth were gritted together, his hands curled up into fists, and his glare so hateful it was a wonder I didn't sizzle away on the spot. The other Slytherins that had been lounging around the room suddenly became interested in our conversation, staring at us and beginning to whisper.

"What did you tell Dumbledore?" Avery demanded.

My expression hardened slightly. "The truth."

Dumbledore had called me into his office earlier in the day (Avery knew so because I'd been pulled out of History of Magic). When I'd arrived in his office, I had been surprised to see that Slughorn and McGonagall were there as well. They'd asked me what had happened that night in the Forest, and I'd told them the truth. Of course that had earned me a solid three months of detention, a 150 point subtraction from Slytherin (I was sure we were in the negatives by now), and a letter to my parents. Luckily, I hadn't been forced to call either of my parents, nor was I suspended or expelled. But I had a feeling that if I screwed up one more time, I was done for good.

"_What_?!" Avery screamed. His hands flew to his head as if he was going to rip out all his hair. "You're gonna get me suspended!"

I shrugged indifferently. "Karma's a bitch."

His eyes darkened considerably. He took a step closer to me so that there was barely any space in between us. I stood my ground, narrowing my eyes at him. "You," he hissed, pointing a shaky finger at me. "This is your fault!"

"_My_ fault?!" I said indignantly, eyebrows furrowing. "_You're_ the one who wanted to duel in the first place, and _you're_ the one who used dark magic. You damn well deserve to get suspended."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, as if that was the first time I'd used dark magic!" He spoke cockily, apparently under the impression that using dark magic made him cool.

I raised an eyebrow. "Should I mention that to Dumbledore too?"

That wiped the smugness right off his face. I smirked slightly.

"If you knew what was best for you," he hissed, poking me hard in the shoulder, "you wouldn't say another damn word."

I stared at the shoulder he'd poked. I slowly raised an eyebrow at him. "And if you knew what was best for you," I said softly, leaning in towards him, "you'd stay the hell away from me."

He arched an eyebrow at me and then smirked slightly. "You better watch yourself, Piers. If, as you say, karma's a bitch, then there's one huge bitch coming out to get you soon."

I snorted. "Someone said the same thing to your Pops when they saw your Momma headin' his way." I heard a few snickers in the room.

The smirk disappeared and his face became dark again. "You just dug yourself in another hole, Piers."

Well, damn. So much for avoiding more fights. But I wasn't going to back down now.

"Then I'll just claw my way back up like last time."

With that, I pushed passed him without another word.

* * *

><p>"Wow, what a bloody bloke," Sirius said after I'd finished my story of what had happened in the Common Room. I was in the Gryffindor Common Room now, lounging around with the boys. This was what felt right to me – hanging around with my boys, just chilling and fooling around. It felt so good to have things back to the way they used to be. It had been a surprisingly smoother transition back than I'd thought it would be. I supposed it was just easy for us to get along like this.<p>

"I hope he _does_ get suspended," James muttered as he played with the Snitch bouncy ball I'd gotten him for Christmas. He was lying down on the couch and was throwing the ball against the wall so that it continued to bounce back to him.

"Though I'm not sure if that'll happen," Remus frowned. "It's rare for them to take such extremes, especially if Slughorn has a say in it."

"Yeah," Peter agreed. "He'll probably just get detention."

I pursed my lips. "Damn, I was hoping I wouldn't have to see that ugly face of his for a few days." I sighed. "Y'know, things are just going to get worse between us. He's gonna want to take revenge on me for getting him in trouble."

"Well, technically _we _were the ones who reported him," Remus pointed out. "If anything, he should be mad at us."

"Oh, I'm sure he'll take some of it out on us too." Sirius shrugged. "But we'll be ready for him, mates, won't we?"

James grinned and threw up a fist while Peter chortled nervously. Remus frowned.

"Things will get even worse if we keep this up. Why not just make amends while we can?"

Sirius, James, and I rolled our eyes simultaneously. Peter appeared to silently agree with Remus.

"C'mon, Moony, don't be so soft," James said. "He's a Slytherin for crying out loud. Do you really think he'll try to 'make amends'?"

"…Good point." He smirked slightly at me. His smirk was as sexy as always. "Slytherins are just too stubborn and prideful to admit their faults."

I was caught off guard by the audacity of his joke. Remus didn't tease me very often, but whenever he did, it was always something I wouldn't expect from him. I kinda liked it when he changed it up from time to time. It just added another layer to him; Remus was kind and sweet, but he certainly had a devilish side to him. "Excuse me, but I think Gryffindors are even worse when it comes to pride and stubbornness."

"Pride, maybe," Remus admitted, "but stubbornness? Not so much. We don't really hold grudges."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, please. Don't act as if hating the Slytherin House due to a century-old grudge doesn't count."

The boys appeared slightly taken aback. "Damn, Piers," Sirius said, eyebrows raised, "I didn't know you were so protective of your House. Those Slytherins rubbing off on you?"

I rolled my eyes again. "No, of course not." I paused. "Well…they're not _all_ bad." Lucinda, for instance, was actually a pretty chill girl to hang around with. Ever since I'd started to practice Quidditch more often, Lucinda and I had gotten to know each other better. Sure, she still fiery and demanding as ever, but we got along fairly well.

James and Sirius each raised an eyebrow at me. Remus seemed surprised but certainly not upset.

"Watch out," James said in a very loud 'whisper' to Sirius. "She's become one of them!"

"We should get out while we still can!" Sirius replied, trying to hold back a smile.

I sighed and shrugged. "Well, I guess I can't blame yah." I smirked. "I know we Slytherins have very strong personalities – it's no wonder you feel intimidated."

Caught off guard, James missed the snitch and it smacked into his face. "Intimidated?!" He spluttered indignantly, rubbing a hand along his face. "More like revolted!"

I snickered at him. Before I had a chance to retort, however, another female voice intervened.

"Speaking of Slytherins, what's this one doing in our Common Room?"

We all turned to see Marlene standing by the entranceway. She stepped towards us, eyebrows raised, arms folded across her chest. I instantly found myself scowling. Remus took a glance my way, his eyebrows crinkling in concern.

To my great surprise, it was Sirius who replied. He really was manning up, wasn't he? I smiled slightly, feeling proud of him.

"She was invited," he replied coolly.

Marlene frowned. "Certainly you didn't invite her?"

"As a matter of a fact, I did." Her mouth dropped open. "We all made up."

I shifted slightly, prepared to protect Sirius (or myself, for that matter) in case Marlene tried to strangle one of us. And by the looks of it, she was on the verge of doing just that.

"And _why_ would you make up with her even after all the cruel things she'd said to me?!" she shrieked incredulously. "She hurt my feelings!"

I rolled my eyes and snorted softly. She narrowed her eyes at me and Remus nudged me in warning.

"Something you have to say, Piers?"

I paused, feeling everybody's eyes fall to me. This was my moment. Either I fell into my old habits and cussed her out or I held my head high and talked this out with her calmly.

I cleared my throat. "Actually, yeah, there is something I have to say."

"Well, please," Marlene said, folding her arms across her chest. "I know you're not one to keep your mouth shut."

"Neither are you," I muttered. Dammit. "Err...I mean, can we step out?" This was 'being mature' thing was a lot more difficult than I'd thought. "...Y'know, talk in private?"

I could sense everybody's surprise. I thought that Remus was more than just surprised, though. Judging by his smile, he was proud of me for not going off like I always did.

Marlene arched an eyebrow high. "Uh, how about _no_. Anything you have to say to me could be said in front of everybody."

"I don't think you'd like that," I said, standing up. "I'll probably just end up embarrassing you." I didn't think anything could stop me from dropping side comments; that was just the way I was. But that didn't mean I shouldn't be able to keep my cool.

She flared up instantly. "Just what–"

"C'mon," I groaned, grabbing her by the wrist. "Just think of it as 'girl talk'."

She protested as I began to drag her away, shouting something about how it can be a girl talk if she's the only girl talking. I rolled my eyes and let her rant as I pulled her out of the Common Room.

"Now listen," I said as soon as the portrait swung shut behind us, "I know that you and I haven't hit it off – and I doubt we ever will – but that doesn't mean you can act like an outta control, jealous, psychotic bitch." Marlene's face darkened and she appeared to contemplate slapping me. "Really, though, Marlene."

I certainly caught her attention when I said her name. I usually referred to her as 'Blondie', 'hoe', or 'bitch', so this certainly was something new for both of us.

"I know you're under the impression that there's something going on between Sirius and me, but lemme tell yah, there's absolutely _nothing_ going on between us. Honestly, he's like a brother to me, so even thinking about dating him makes me wanna hurl."

"…You don't find him remotely attractive?" she asked dubiously, raising an eyebrow at me. "At all?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "You're just asking me that so you can find another excuse to accuse me of being with him."

She gaped, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I-I am not!" I raised an eyebrow at her and she puffed out her cheeks. "Oh, alright, so maybe I am! It's just I-I…"

"He's dating you for a reason," I said softly. She glanced up at me, clearly surprised at my tone and what I'd said. "Not sure what exactly it is, but it's there." She scowled. "I mean, if he really had a thing for me, don't you think he would've dumped you and moved on to me? Remember, this is Sirius we're talking about," I added when she opened her mouth to retort.

"…You're right," she sighed heavily. "As much I hate to admit it, you're right." She glanced down at the ground, kicking the floor. "I just…I just get jealous so easily because…well, you know him." Yeah, I knew what she was getting at. Sirius was a huge flirt, even during his relationship with Marlene, so it must've been hard for her to see him flirting with other girls.

"That's a problem you gotta work out with him," I said, putting my hands up. "I'll have no part of it."

"Yeah," she sighed again, "I know." She rubbed her elbow. Obviously this conversation was making her uncomfortable. I certainly wasn't having the time of my life either, but this conversation was something we needed to have if we were ever going to tolerate each other. "…Sorry," she muttered, her apology barely audible, "I shouldn't have overreacted like that."

My jaw dropped. Marlene McKinnon was apologizing to me?! Maybe Jesus was finally cutting me some slack, out of sympathy for me after my near-death experience.

"Stop staring at me like that," she snapped. "You look even stupider than usual."

Ah, there was the Marlene I was used to.

I cleared my throat, running my fingers through my hair. "I'm sorry, too." This time it was her turn to look idiotic. "I shouldn't have snapped at you that day in the Study Hall." I paused. "Though you were clearly pushing it."

"Yeah, I was." I raised my eyebrows in surprise; I'd been so sure she'd respond with some sorta sassy reply instead of admitting her faults. She shrugged sheepishly. "I thought that maybe I would be able to get you away from Sirius if I was bitchy enough to you. It did work for a good month or two," she pointed out, apparently proud that her plan had worked. I scowled.

"You're just one passive-aggressive bitch, aren't you?" It really rather irked me, since I was just the complete opposite.

She scowled darkly. "I am not!"

"Since I'm not in the mood to argue with you anymore," I sighed, "how about we just make a truce?" She arched an eyebrow high. "I mean, if you and Sirius are dating now, you and I are gonna have to learn how to stay in the same room without murdering each other. Now I'm not saying we have to best friends or anything, but we should at least be able to stay somewhat civil." I extended my hand out toward her. "What d'yah say?"

She stared at my hand for a long moment. Then she sighed so heavily that I was surprised she didn't deflate like a balloon from the loss of air. She took the hand I held out to her and shook it. "For Sirius," she said.

I laughed. "For Sirius," I agreed, before releasing her hand.

Marlene sighed and placed her hands behind her head as she began to walk down the stairs. "So I guess Lily was right about you after all..."

I'd been about to return to the Common Room when I'd heard her comment. Intrigued, I followed after her. "Right about what?"

Marlene gave me a smirk over her shoulder. "About the fact that it wasn't Sirius you were after."

I frowned. "What d'you mean?"

She laughed softly, turning around to fully face me.

"Let's just say you have a bit of a...sweet tooth."

My frown only deepened. "So, what, I like candy?"

She rolled her eyes. "You are _such_ a guy." She turned back around to walk the other way.

"Wait! Blondie!" I tried to chase after her but the stairs shifted right after she'd descended them. She laughed and waved goodbye, leaving me to hopelessly ponder her words.

* * *

><p><em>Hey guys! Quick update, I know! But after this update I probably won't be able to update until December (and if I do, y'all know that means I gave up on studying XD). By the way, I forgot to ask in the last AN, but what do you guys think of the new cover photo? :D Hopefully the girl seems Alex-y enough. :P _


	24. Chapter 24

When I was thirteen or fourteen, I would get into huge arguments with my mom. Of course, I used to get in fights with my mom all the time, regardless of my age, but it was the worst around my early adolescent years. She would yell at me for staying up past curfew and not doing my work in school. In turn, I would scream at her about how much I hated living in that shithole of an apartment and that I was going to move out the instant I turned eighteen. We wouldn't talk for days. Then, eventually, one of us would approach the other and apologize. Sometimes I went to her and apologized for being such a bratty bitch, telling her that I knew how hard she worked and that I admired her for it. Other times she would come and talk to me, apologizing for yelling at me, but still scolding me for my misbehavior.

I remembered how I used to think that turning eighteen somehow made me untouchable – that, somehow, all my problems would magically disappear and that I would live life the I way I wanted to. But now that the day had finally come, I realized how truly foolish I'd been. Turning eighteen made me a legal adult, sure, but I was still a kid. I still depended a lot on my parents, as much I didn't want to admit it. There was no way I would've been able to simply move out of the house, with nothing but a fast food job as my income, and become successful. I would've either gone running back to my mom or, out of my dignity, taken it to the streets to become a full-time bum.

I smiled softly at myself in the mirror, shaking my head. So young and naïve I'd been. Sure, I damn well wasn't the most mature, clear-headed eighteen year old around, but I'd still matured from my thirteen year old self.

"What are you doing, staring at yourself like that?" one of the Slytherin girls in our dorm room asked me as she passed by. She arched an eyebrow at me.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Who are you to criticize me when you spend ten hours in front of the mirror to do your makeup?"

"At least I bother to make myself look presentable," she hissed angrily. "You always look like a nasty slob."

"Actually, I'm just more of a _natural_ beauty," I said, smirking slightly. "I don't need to use fifty pounds of makeup to hide my face."

She opened her mouth to retort but was interjected by a, "Hey, birthday girl, hurry up already!" It was Lucinda's voice coming from the Common Room. "Before your bloody Gryffindor friends cause a riot!"

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. The Marauders were waiting outside the Common Room for me? We usually just met up in the Great Hall for breakfast. What were they doing here? Not wanting to keep them waiting (which could lead them into a fight with my fellow Slytherins), I quickly grabbed my schoolbag and rushed towards the door. I paused before the girl that had bitched at me earlier about hogging the mirror.

"For the record," I said, crinkling my nose as my eyes wondered all over her face, "that makeup makes you look like a whore." Her face turned a bright red. I grinned and bounded out of the door before she could shriek at me.

"There you are!" Lucinda said in exasperation when she saw me. She was dressed in the sweats she wore whenever she worked out, and her long caramel hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, really showcasing her cheekbones. She was quite the looker, even in those sweats; it was no wonder so many boys ogled over her. "Snape is ready to throw a damn fit."

I rolled my eyes and slowed down my pace. "Give the boy his bottle, won't you? That'll shut him up." Lucinda let out a small snort. "Really, though, what's the big deal? Y'all are acting like a bunch of toddlers! The Gryffindors don't bitch and whine whenever I show up outside their Common Room."

Lucinda also rolled her eyes. "That's because you're practically a Gryffindor yourself."

I paused in my stride, ready to argue, when I realized that she was right. So I grinned and shrugged. Before I could happily agree, however, a new voice interrupted our conversation.

"Really," sneered the boy, "I dunno what the Sorting Hat was thinking, placing you in Slytherin. Utter disgrace to the Slytherin name."

"And you're an utter disgrace to the human race." Smirking, I turned to face Avery. He was leaned against the wall, his arms folded across his chest, and what had been a calm expression on his face suddenly screwed up into a rather nasty one.

"Oh, please," he hissed, straightening up. "You're the disgrace, you unnatural half-breed."

"Half-breed, huh?" I asked, amused by his choice of words. "Well, if that's the only reason I'm a 'disgrace', what's your excuse?"

Lucinda laughed quietly. Avery bristled, his cheeks flushing an angry and embarrassed shade of red. Knowing that Lucinda was a grade above him and had quite a bit of power due to her position as Quidditch Captain, he dared not say anything to her, though the glare he sent her spoke for itself.

"Yeah." The smirk I sent Avery was triumphant. "That's what I thought." I turned on my heels and exited the Slytherin Common Room, barely able to hear whatever insult Avery had hastily thrown my way before I left.

The moment I took a step out of the Common Room, I was greeted by the explosion of streamers in my face. I yelped in surprise and swatted my hands around to push them away, but I realized that they must've been made through magic, because they were starting to dissipate into thin air. Once they all disappeared I could make out the Marauders, standing about in a half-circle. Sirius and James were grinning widely, Peter was smiling shyly, and Remus was practically beaming.

"Happy birthday!" they chorused.

"Happy 18th, Alex," Remus murmured softly, smiling handsomely at me. I felt my heart flutter. In his own quiet way, Remus was really rather charming – he didn't have the certain flirtatious charm that Stebbins or Sirius had, but a subtler, cuter charm.

"Awww," I murmured, smiling and placing a hand against my chest. "You guys…!"

I ran up to Remus first, throwing myself on him and practically tackling him down to the floor in the process. I felt him shake in laughter against me.

"Always the enthusiastic hugger, aren't you?" he teased me. Yet, as he spoke, his arms tightened around me.

"Only around you," I murmured softly in his ear, laughing very quietly. Although I'd said so to tease him, it was actually quite true; I loved the feeling of being in his arms. I always felt so warm and safe in them.

"Should we just leave you two alone, then?" Sirius teased. Remus and I must've been hugging for a longer time than we'd realized. Laughing in surprise, I withdrew from him. He was furiously blushing, most likely from both what I and Sirius had said.

"Get a room," James added, a smile twitching at the corner of his lip.

"Oh, stow it, you two!" Remus muttered, blushing harder. I laughed.

"Yeah, no need to get your panties in a knot." Sirius and James made faces. Peter snickered loudly. "Y'all can have plenty of time to cuddle with Remus later."

"As long as you promise not to get jealous," Sirius joked.

I grinned. "Not sure if I can do that…you know how much I hate to lie." I winked at him. James whistled and laughed. "Now, c'mere! I still need to get to the rest of you!"

"Oh, great," Sirius said when he saw me approach him with my arms wide open, "At this rate, we'll be here all day!"

* * *

><p>Despite Sirius's totally legitimate concern, I didn't take all day to hug the rest of the boys. In fact, we still managed to make it to breakfast. There, Lily wished me a happy birthday and, during our hug, whispered to me that she was happy how I had made up with the boys. Marlene also wished me a happy birthday, although a tad grudgingly and rather unenthusiastically. It was definitely a step for us, though.<p>

Then, once we situated ourselves and started to eat our breakfast, the owls came in to deliver the mail, like they always did. However, this morning, an owl swooped down towards me and dropped a package on my plate of food.

My eyebrows furrowed. Nobody ever sent me mail; this had to be a mistake. But then I saw that it was addressed to Miss. Alexandria M. Piers. It took me a moment to realize that my name and information was written in my father's narrow handwriting.

"M?" Sirius asked, peering at the package. Apparently that was the only thing he found odd. "What does it stand for?"

"Marie," I answered, only half-listening. Why would my father send me a package out of the blue? He and I hadn't had any communication since that phone call so many months ago. If this was supposed to serve as his apology, it was a little behind schedule.

"Alexandria Marie Piers," Sirius said thoughtfully. "It sounds a bit too pretty for you."

That comment got my attention. I shot Sirius a glare. "And what's your middle name?" I muttered. "Lee?"

It took him and the rest of the boys a minute to put the pieces together. "Sirius Lee Black!" giggled James. "I like the sound of that!" I let him, Peter, and Sirius joke and argue it out as I continued to silently stare at the package.

"…What's wrong?" Remus asked me softly. He placed his silverware down, giving me his undivided attention. I could see the concern in his eyes.

"…This package. It's from my dad." My eyebrows furrowed. "Just what the hell does he think he's doing?"

"There are probably birthday presents in there," he offered. I gave him a dubious look. "It can't possibly be a coincidence that you received it on your birthday."

"You're probably right," I admitted. My grip on the package tightened. "But I'm not sure if I want his presents."

"Alex–"

I put my hands up in the air in a gesture of peace. I smiled at him. "Fine, fine. I'll look through this later." I placed the package underneath my chair. "Right now, I really don't wanna worry about this, so let's just not talk about it, alright?"

He smiled in resignation. "Alright," he said quietly. "If that's what you want."

"It is what I want," I agreed, stirring around my eggs. "It's not too much to ask for some quality time with my friends on my birthday, is it?"

"Of course not," Remus replied, smiling. He paused. "That reminds me, are you free later this evening?"

"Hmm?" I was a bit caught off-guard by the change in topics. "Uh, yeah, I am. What's up?"

"There's something I want to show you." His smile was a bit devious and his eyes sparkled. "But I can't tell you what it is, because it's a surprise."

My eyebrows rose. "Oh? A surprise?"

He nodded. "Is it alright if I come by your Common Room around seven?"

"Sounds good to me." I winked at him. "It's a date."

* * *

><p>Once classes were over, I headed back to my dorm room. It was empty, since it was still in the afternoon, and I was grateful that I had a moment to myself. Plopping down on my bed, I tore open the package I'd received earlier and dumped out its contents. A stack of envelopes that were wrapped together in a rubber band fell out first, followed by an assortment of colorfully wrapped objects.<p>

I focused on the envelopes first. I took off the rubber band and started to thumb through them. The first letter was from my brother (what was up with that?), the second from my mother, the third from Officer Stan – Officer Stan?! – the fourth from Dave – wait a second now! I thumbed through the envelopes quicker, my excitement growing with every familiar name I saw. Then I laughed and shook my head in disbelief. How had my parents managed to get all these letters from my friends?! Hoping the explanation would be from my mother's letter (since she could've been the only one to obtain the envelopes from my friends in the first place), I opened hers first.

_I'm sorry I haven't kept in contact with you at all, _she wrote in her curly handwriting, _your father makes it such a hassle. But I do hope you're doing well. I know everything's been really overwhelming for you, whether you'd like to admit it or not, but I hope you're getting into the habit of things by now._

She then went on to explain the situation with the letters and why she hadn't sent any earlier. Apparently my friends had been bugging her forever to see if they could get in contact with me (reading that bit made me smile like an idiot), and she had been telling them that the only way to do so would be through mail, and doing that required my father's help. But, because today was my birthday, my friends had tried hard to convince her (I bet they nagged her) to send me birthday cards and presents. So she finally gave in, managing to work something out with my dad so that he could ship the letters over to me.

_Happy 18th birthday, Alex. You finally reached that magical 18. _I smiled softly, shaking my head. _I wish I was there to celebrate your birthday with you, but I hope you enjoy it regardless. You may not believe it, but I do miss you each and every single day. I miss and love you so, so much. I can't wait to have you back in the summer. _

_Until then,_

_Mom_

"I miss you too," I said quietly. I noticed a present addressed from her to me lying in the pile, and I opened it up to see a black t-shirt that read, in white, "Brooklyn girl". I laughed and shook my head. As if I didn't stand out enough.

I decided to read my friends' letters next. They mostly wrote about how much they missed me and asked me when I'd be back and just why the hell it was so difficult to get in contact with me ("you at a prison camp or something?" Dave had written). They also gave me little snippets about how they were doing. Apparently Cole had crashed his car, Marco had gotten suspended, and Jackie was going to be an older sister. And, of course, they wished me a happy birthday and told me to enjoy my gifts.

Smiling and shaking my head in disbelief, I began to tear open their presents. The first one I opened was from Dave, and it was the latest Aerosmith record. I grinned widely. Now I finally had something I could dance and sing to! The next present I tore open was from Jackie. Not much to my surprise, it was a pack of cigarettes. There was also a small note attached to it; _thought you could use a smoke – who doesn't these days?_ I burst out laughing, shaking my head. Oh, that Jackie.

The last present was from both Cole and Marco. It appeared to be a rolled up sheet of paper…maybe a poster? Grinning in anticipation, I took off the wrapping and unrolled the poster. None other than Clint Eastwood squinted back at me, dressed in his cowboy attire.

Thank God the dorm was empty. The girls wouldn't have given me an easy time after hearing the fangirl squeal I'd just let out. And even the boys woulda heard the scream I let out next when I saw the scribbling in the bottom right hand corner of the poster.

"Oh my god oh my god oh my god!" I squealed, jumping up and down on my bed. In Clint's distinctive loopy cursive, it read, _Happy 18__th__, Alex. Wish you the best. _And it had Clint's autograph beneath. "No way," I muttered, tracing a hand along the writing, "No way this is real…"

I flipped it over and saw a long note attached to the back. It was written in Marco's rather girly handwriting. He explained to me that Clint had been filming a new movie in the City, so Marco and Cole headed down to the set, hoping but doubting that they would manage to get an autograph. After the shoot, the actors walked around to sign autographs for their fans. Somehow, after shoving their way towards the front, Marco and Cole had managed not only to get Clint's autograph, but request a special note.

_He just squinted at us for a second – you know that damn squint of his, kinda intimidating in real life – and we told him about you. About how you're his biggest fan, and how you're turning eighteen and that this would be a rad present to get you. Then he just smiled and said, "She's lucky to have you two as friends," and just signed away. I see now why you always ogle over the guy. He's damn charming is what he is. _I laughed loudly. _Not bad on the eyes, either._ I laughed harder, shaking my head. Then I smiled and flipped the poster over again, scrutinizing it. It sucked that I hadn't been able to see Clint Eastwood in the flesh myself! He was probably even better looking in person! Oh well, I supposed that I could try to see him another time. At least I had the greatest friends in the world that had gone out of their way to get his autograph for me! I had to get Cole and Marco some damn good presents on their birthdays.

After spending some time arranging the poster and the note from Marco on my wall, I sat back down and stared at the two other letters I hadn't read yet. One was from Officer Stan, and the other from my brother. I noted that I had not received a letter from my father. Figuring that Luke would explain why in his letter, I decided to read Officer Stan's first.

He wished me a happy birthday – _finally eighteen, huh? –_ and asked me how life was abroad. He assured me that my mother was doing just fine (apparently they'd had some coffee together the other day), and that, for her sake, he hoped that I wasn't getting into too much trouble. _And now that you're eighteen_, he wrote me in the next paragraph, _you're responsible for your own actions – your parents, according to law, ain't liable for you anymore. That means you gotta think before you act, and I really mean it this time, because the next time you're found breaking the law, you're really gonna end up in jail. I care 'bout you (yeah, that's right!) and I want what's best for you. I want you to live a happy life, and in no happy life is jail involved._

_But I've said my peace, and I'm sure your parents have as well, so it's up to you to make what you believe are the right decisions. Take care of yourself, now, and enjoy the rest of your school year._

I smiled softly once I finished reading the letter. Officer Stan was still looking out for me, even when I was out of the country. He'd always been more of a teacher-figure to me than an authoritative figure. He always wanted to help and teach me and try to guide me to a better future. If it hadn't been for his patience and tough love, I might've been lying in a gutter somewhere.

I turned next to Luke's letter. I ripped it open and scanned its contents.

_So it looks like you're finally eighteen…though personally I don't see what the big idea is, since I doubt you've matured these past few months since I've seen you. _I scowled. _As a matter of a fact, I KNOW you haven't changed a bit, after Dad told me what you said to him over the phone. That's why he didn't bother to send you a birthday letter…since you claimed that he wasn't a real father to you, he said that he had no daughter to send a birthday card or gift to._

I stopped reading the letter at this point. And then I reread the last line over and over in my head until I could recite it word for word.

...Yet I still couldn't believe what I was reading. Luke couldn't possibly be serious, could he? Hoping he had written a "Gotchya!" by the end of the letter (even though I knew he hadn't, since he was just too serious of a person), I started to read it again.

_It seems like you finally got that eighteenth birthday present you've been begging for, huh? You know, the one where you break off all contact with your family? Happy birthday to you, Alex. I hope you're pleased with yourself._

_P.S. If you stop being so self-centered for once in your life and apologize to Dad about what you said, he might actually forgive you. _

Self-centered?! Angry at Luke for being his typical snobbish self, I tossed the letter aside. Huffing in irritation, I leaned against my headboard and folded my arms across my chest. The minutes ticked by quietly.

How could Dad be seriously that mad at me? I was sure that I'd said worse things to him before! I mean, yeah, I guessed that saying that he would never be a real father to me was rather harsh…but c'mon! We always argued like that! Why was this time so different? Because I was older and should've known better? The same thing could've been said about him! He was being more immature by not even bothering to write me a letter!

After debating with myself for the longest time, I knew that my father had been in the wrong by not writing me a letter and trying to talk it out with me, but I had also been in the wrong for saying such things to him and never trying to get in contact with him again afterwards.

I stood with a new resolve. I was gonna head down to Dumbledore's office, ask if I could use his phone (hopefully he still had it), and I was going to apologize to my father for what I'd said.

Because, despite all the screaming matches my father and I had had over the years, he was still my father.

Nothing could ever change that.

* * *

><p>"…Are you alright, Alex?" Remus asked me softly. I blinked rapidly at him, shaking my head to shatter my thoughts. "You've been awfully quiet."<p>

"Oh, I'm sorry, Remus!" I smiled at him, though the smile didn't reach my eyes. "I didn't mean to be rude."

"You weren't," he said quickly, smiling back at me. "I was just starting to get a little worried that something was wrong." When I didn't respond, he asked me, very gently, "Is it about the package from your father?"

I laughed softly and shook my head in disbelief. He knew me too well. "What are you, a mind-reader?" I joked. He offered me a small smile but didn't respond. I sighed, knowing that he was gonna wait for me to speak. "I don't wanna bother you with another of my family problems–"

He stopped walking suddenly and pulled on my hand to stop me. I sighed uncomfortably and turned towards him, looking up into his eyes. They were as warm and inviting as they always were. I relaxed slightly.

"Alex," he said, very softly, "you are _never_ a bother. You can talk to me about anything, anytime, anywhere. I'm always here for you."

I didn't know how many times he'd said that to me – "I'm here for you" – but it never failed to make my heart turn into a pile of mush. He was just too good to me.

"Oh, Remus…" I didn't know what else to say, so I wrapped my arms around him tightly and burrowed my face against his chest. Though I could tell that I'd caught him off-guard, I felt his arms envelope me a moment later. "You are just too sweet."

"Maybe it's because I eat candy all the time," he joked. I laughed softly before breaking apart from him. "Really, though." He sobered, his eyes fixing upon mine. "I'm always here to listen to whatever you've got to tell me."

I smiled at him, squeezing his arm affectionately. "Yeah, I know." My smile softened. "Thanks."

He smiled back at me and offered me his arm. "So, talk to me." I laughed quietly and took his arm. We began to walk down the corridor once more.

I told him everything, from the letters and presents ("You have to show me that poster sometime!") to me calling up my father in an attempt to apologize to him. "But he didn't pick up," I finished. "It was just his answering machine. I did leave a message, though," I added. "Told him I received the package and to call me back. Dumbledore told me he'd let me know if my father called." We were walking up a long and spiral staircase now.

"Good for you," Remus smiled at me. I thought that there was a sense of pride in his voice and manner. "For trying to mend things with your dad."

I smiled back at him, feeling proud of myself for making Remus proud. Yes, that might've sounded silly, but it was true. I never wanted to disappoint Remus because he always placed so much faith and trust in me. He was one of the few people in my life who still believed that I had potential. "Thanks. He is my dad, after all…we may fight a lot, but I still love him."

"I think he'll be really happy to hear you say that," he said encouragingly.

"Yeah, I hope so." I cleared my throat. "Alright, enough about my dad." We stopped at what must've been the top of stairs; a door was blocking us from seeing the other side. "Where are we?"

"The Astronomy Tower," grinned Remus. I arched an eyebrow at him.

"I thought it was off-limits to students afterhours?"

"It is," he agreed. My other eyebrow joined the first. "But, for the sake of your surprise, I figured it'd be worth bending a rule or two." His grin became rather mischievous.

I laughed and shook my head. "Those Marauders are a bad influence on you." My tone was affectionate.

"They're not the only bad influence on me," he teased. I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Now, are you ready?"

"Baby, I was born ready."

"I thought you'd say that," he laughed, before he swung open the door. I ventured a few steps out to see that we were on the very top of the Astronomy Tower. There was nothing but the night sky above us. It was surprisingly warm, but it must've been because Remus had cast a charm around us.

What caught my attention was the table in the middle. I edged closer towards it, and I had the strangest feeling that Remus was watching my reaction closely.

On the table were two lit candles, a meal prepared for two, a bottle of sparkling apple cider, and a vase full of red roses. The scenery practically screamed romance, and to be honest, I wasn't really sure how I felt about it.

"Surprise," Remus said softly. I chuckled quietly to myself.

"You can say that again," I laughed, turning around to face him. I threw my hands up in the air and gestured around me. "What is this?!"

"A birthday dinner," he replied, taking one of my hands and tugging me towards him. I squealed in surprise and burst out in a fit of laughter when he began to twirl me around. He pulled me back to him again and we slowly swayed in place, our hands joined together. "With just the two of us."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Surely he knew what he must've been implying with his words and what he was doing. Yet I said nothing of it. I was enjoying my time with Remus. I loved the warmth of his smile and the sparkle in his eyes and the heat of his hands and the steady beating of his heart. It was all so comforting and soothing.

"I think I like the sound of that," I said finally, smiling up at him. He smiled back at me.

"I'm glad you do," he replied, "because I do too."

A moment of silence passed as we continued to sway.

"Remus?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

His eyes crinkled warmly when he smiled. "For what?"

"For everything," I laughed. "For setting this thing up for me, for always listening to my problems, for constantly lending me a hand, for never giving up on me." I paused. "Thank you. Thank you for always being here for me. I...I really can't imagine where my life would be now if I hadn't met you."

He gently tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear. "I can't really imagine where my life would be if I hadn't met you, either."

I snorted. "You'd be somewhere better, that's for sure."

"That's not true," he admonished. He softened after a moment. "I know I wouldn't have ever been as happy as I am right now."

"D'you know that you just melted my heart into a pile of mush?"

He threw his head back and laughed in surprise. "I'm sorry?"

"Don't ever apologize for turning a girl's heart into a pile of mush," I joked. "Because that's what you want to do, silly!"

"No," he said, shaking his head. I frowned in confusion. "The only girl's heart I want to turn into...into a pile of mush" – he struggled to hold in his laugh and couldn't keep a straight face – "is yours." His expression did sober, and his eyes searched mine, awaiting my response.

"Well, you just did it again," I muttered. He laughed softly. He didn't speak immediately, playing with my fingers as his eyes roamed all over my face.

"Alex," he said, very softly. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you for a long time now." He smiled, but it quavered a bit out of nervousness. "I've debated it over and over until I finally realized that this was something I really wanted to commit to."

I was silent, knowing that he was nervous and just needed a moment to gather his composure. Hell, I was starting to feel a bit nervous myself, because I already had the feeling I knew where this was going. He spoke at last, with great confidence in his voice as he asked me, unwavering,

"Will you be my girlfriend?"


	25. Chapter 25

"_Will you be my girlfriend?"_

I'd been half-expecting him to ask me something of the sort, but it still startled me to hear it from his lips. For a long moment I just gaped at him, my eyes wide, my eyebrows raised. He awaited me patiently, though I could tell that he was starting get anxious because I hadn't responded immediately. Then, finally, I asked him, "Are you sure?"

Clearly that wasn't the answer he'd been anticipating. He raised his eyebrows at me and let out a short laugh of surprise. "Am I sure that I wanna be your boyfriend? Yes, Alex, I'm pretty damn sure."

"Well, it's just that…" I bit the inside of my cheek. It was just that I'd never really considered a relationship between Remus and myself. Although, of course, that was mostly because I avoided thinking about such things. I sighed and placed my hands against my hips, staring up into the night sky. I knew Remus was a good guy, and that he would be a great boyfriend, but... "I'm not girlfriend material," I said at last, looking back down at him. "I'm no good for you, Remus."

His eyes bulged and his jaw slackened momentarily in surprise. Once he'd gotten over his shock, it was clear that my words had upset him. His brows furrowed as he frowned deeply. "What d'you mean, no good for me?!" he said heatedly, the color of his cheeks rising. "You're _perfect_ for me!"

I arched an eyebrow high. Me, perfect for him? "You're joking, right?" I said incredulously. His expression quickly became hurt and I hurriedly explained, "What I mean is, you can do so much _better_ than me, Remus. You're a great guy, who deserves himself a really great girl."

"You _are_ a really great girl," he urged. "And you're the _only_ girl that I want to be in a relationship with." There was a ferocity in his voice and in his eyes. "I want to date _you_, Alex, because I like you for who you are. I don't want some girl who's 'girlfriend material'; I want _Alex_ material!"

I softened. Even when he was all fired up, he found a way to be absolutely adorable.

It was in that moment I realized that I'd always been attracted to Remus, an attraction that ran deeper than the surface of his skin. There was just something about him that I'd always been drawn to. Maybe it was his calm demeanor, or maybe it was the way he never lost faith in people. Hell, it was really just a mix of all the quirks of his personality. I just knew that he brought out the best in me. Around him, I was a better person.

"Are you sure?" I asked again, despite knowing that he wouldn't want me asking that again. "I really wanna make sure you know what you're getting yourself into."

He laughed quietly. "Yes, I know what kind of a mess I'm getting myself into." He smiled teasingly. "Do you?"

I smirked back at him. "Guess there's only one way to find out."

* * *

><p>The Three Broomsticks Inn was as popular and rowdy as ever. There were pointy hats and the fluttering of robes every which way. Wizards and witches laughed and chatted away as they clunked their foaming mugs together.<p>

"I don't see them," I said, leaning closer to Remus so that he could hear me over the noise. "Do you?"

"They usually grab one of the tables near the middle…" Like that it made it any easier to find them. I tightened my grip on Remus's arm in fear of losing him as we weaved our way through the crowd. "There they are!" Remus shouted to me, nodding towards a boisterous table. James was the first to notice us approaching. He grinned widely and lifted his glass in the air, accidentally making some of the beer spill over his hand. The rest of the table quickly followed his cue.

"I'd like to make a toast," James shouted, grinning even wider, "to Alex and Remus! For _finally_ getting together!"

"To the new couple!" everybody else cheered, lifting their mugs.

Remus and I both laughed. Even though I thought that they were a bit over the top – they were acting as if we'd just gotten married, for God's sake – it was nice of them to celebrate and support the new-found relationship between Remus and me.

"Thanks, guys!" Remus was glowing. "We appreciate the support!"

"Yeah," I grinned. I threw up our entwined hands, eliciting a surprised burst of laughter from Remus. "We made it!"

Laughter traveled around the table. "You look like a wrestler who just won her match," Sirius joked, grinning wide.

"Well, I certainly did win something," I smiled, nudging Remus. He blushed, which only made my smile wider. Sirius wolf-whistled while James and Peter snickered.

"Sit down, sit down," Lily said, gesturing to two empty chairs between herself and Peter. She was wearing a deep blue sweater that went really well with her skin tone. I could only imagine how much James had been gawking at her before Remus and I had arrived. "About time you two got together, if you ask me."

"You can say that again," laughed Sirius. "Honestly, I can't believe nothing's happened up until now. Took you two long enough."

"Yeah," agreed James, fixing his glasses. "You two have been ogling at each other for, what, the past couple of months?"

"Oh, alright, alright," I said in surrender, lifting up my hands. "So we're taking things a little slow."

"A little slow?" Sirius said incredulously. "Even a troll would've been able to figure out what one plus one equals before you two made it official."

James and Peter snickered as Lily rolled her eyes (though I could see that smile tugging on her lips). Marlene, who was sidled up so close to him that she might as well been sitting on his lap, giggled very girlishly.

"It probably would've taken you longer to figure out the answer to that, though, huh?" I teased, making him pout and the others laugh. "Now, somebody pass me a butterbeer, please. I'm so thirsty." I thanked Peter as he handed me a foaming mug.

"Sure you don't need any firewhiskey with that?" grinned Sirius, his eyes twinkling. "We are celebrating, after all; it won't hurt to have a drink or two, don't you think?"

I actually considered the idea (despite the fact it was only the afternoon), but Remus interjected. "Absolutely not," he huffed, frowning in disapproval. "It's way too early in the day for that."

"Aw, c'mon," Sirius whined. "It's never too early to have a drink and have some fun!" I was starting to get the feeling that he just wanted to see me drunk.

"Oh, stop it," Lily snapped. "Remus is right; it's too early to be drinking."

"Thank you, Lily," Remus replied appreciatively, probably grateful that there was at least one other sane person at the table.

"Let the girl speak for herself, won't you?" Sirius huffed, gesturing towards me. "I think Alex is old enough to make her own decisions. Right, Alex?" He turned towards me, obviously expecting me to agree.

"That's right," I agreed, nodding. Remus and Lily both frowned; clearly they didn't think I was mature enough to make the right decisions. "But I think I'll pass on the whiskey, thanks. Oh, just drop it," I added when Sirius opened his mouth to argue. He sighed and slumped back in his chair.

"Fine, fine." He brightened up an instant later, as if he'd suddenly remembered something. There was certain sparkle in his eyes that could only mean trouble. "But we'll still have some later tonight…we have much to talk about with you, y'know." He turned towards James, who also had the same devilish look in his eyes. I raised my eyebrows. Remus frowned, obviously not liking the sound of things.

"If you have something you want to talk about, you can just tell us here."

"Oh, no." James shook his head. "This conversation can only take place between us"—he pointed at himself, Sirius, and Peter—"and Piers. Nobody else. Don't worry," he added, "Just a little best friends to girlfriend chat. Completely harmless."

So the boys were gonna put me to the test? That was definitely going to be interesting. "I'll be fine," I assured Remus, who still didn't appear to like the idea. "Don't be such a worrywart."

"Yeah," James agreed. "We'll take good care of your girl!"

Remus sighed in resignation. "Fine, fine. Just try not to get so drunk that you can't see straight."

"I can't promise anything," I grinned. Remus gave me a look while James and Sirius snickered.

"That makes me worry even more."

"Aw, lighten up, Moony!" Sirius grinned. "You trust us, don't you?"

"I don't think you want to hear the answer to that." The corner of Remus's lips twitched. I giggled.

The rest of the boys feigned hurt. James sniffed, rubbing away a nonexistent tear. "All these years, I've thought we were friends…!"

"I can't believe you used us like that," Sirius said, wrapping an arm around James, who pretended to sob onto Sirius's shoulder. "You broke our hearts!"

Something about this reminded me of a soap opera (of course, Sirius and James being the overdramatic women in the cast). I started to laugh. Even Lily seemed amused, giggling quietly behind her hand. I swore James's eyes lit up when he saw her laugh.

As Remus replied in his own soap opera-y way, I leaned in towards Lily and said to her, "Do you ever consider giving James a chance?" I didn't really know what had made me say it. It had just been that look in James's eyes. Although it was well-known to everyone in the school that James had a major crush on Lily (I was sure that even all the teachers were aware of it), very few knew just how serious he really was about her. I, among the rest of the boys, knew that he really, _really_ liked her.

She stopped laughing and faced me, her eyes as wide as orbs. She appeared to have thought she misheard me. "I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me. The guy's head over heels for you, Lils – anybody with eyes can see that – so why not give me a shot? He's a better guy than you give him credit for."

"No." She shook her head. "No, no." I raised my eyebrows; it was almost as if she had to convince herself that 'no' was the right answer. "Immature and arrogant troublemakers aren't my type."

"He's been maturing," I pointed out. She raised an eyebrow dubiously. "He has! Besides, maybe an immature, arrogant troublemaker is exactly what you need." I laughed at the incredulous look she sent me. "Haven't you heard that old saying 'opposites attract'? Maybe you need somebody who knows how to have some fun!" It sounded strange of me to be spouting relationship advice, especially since _I_ hadn't even been aware of the fact that I'd been slowly falling for Remus.

"Are you telling me that I don't know how to have fun?!" she said indignantly, puffing out her chest. Apparently she was missing the entire point of what I'd said, but I had the feeling that she was just doing that on purpose. Before I could accuse her doing so, however, Marlene interrupted me.

"What're you two talking about?" Marlene's eyes were narrowed slightly, almost as if she thought that we'd been talking about her. For once, I was grateful for her intrusion.

"Oh, nothing," I said dismissively. I could still feel Lily's glare penetrating me, so I quickly tried to change the subject. "Say, Blondie, where'd you get that necklace?"

Even though I'd gotten back to calling her Blondie, she either didn't care or didn't notice, because she went off into a very detailed explanation about the necklace that Sirius had gotten her. I'd forgotten about my conversation with Lily by the time Marlene had finished her story (although she'd lost me halfway), but I couldn't say the same for Lily. She kept taking glances in James's direction. Regardless, neither of us brought up the topic of James Potter for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p>"…and so Padfoot had to parade around in his drawers until class ended!"<p>

I could barely breathe. My cup of whiskey laid on the floor, long forgotten, as I doubled over in laughter. "Oh my god!" I howled, laughing so hard that I could barely breathe. Tears were beginning to stream down my face. "I wish I'd been there to see it!"

"You can see me in my drawers anytime, love," Sirius assured me. He swayed slightly in place, a lopsided grin on his face. "Not sure how Moony would feel about that, though."

James howled with laughter. "Moony would beat your arse!"

"Uh-huh!" I agreed. I tried to straighten myself up, but only ended up falling back over. I giggled. "My man doesn't take anybody's bullshit!"

"Only yours," Sirius snickered.

"Oh, shuddap, you!" I took the forgotten shot of the whiskey on the floor. "And get me some more whiskey!"

Sirius grabbed the bottle nearest to him and turned it over. Not a single drop of liquid fell out. "You drank the whole thing already." Of course Sirius was just yanking my chain like he always did; there was no way that I could've drank an entire bottle of whiskey by myself. Well, actually...I supposed it was possible; I've lost track of how many shots I'd taken, after all...

"What 'bout the other one?" I slurred, pointing to it.

Peter peered into it. "'S empty too."

"What kinda damn party is this?!" I said indignantly. "Can't be much of a 'best friends to girlfriend' talk if there ain't nothin' to drink!"

"Maybe we'll actually be able to talk now," James said, in a surprisingly serious manner. There was a moment of silence before we all burst out laughing.

"Really, though," Sirius said, sobering up. "We haven't even gotten to talking about your ex-boyfriends yet!"

"Ex-boyfriends?!" I said incredulously. I hiccupped. "Y'all are actin' like a buncha girls!"

"Nuh-uh! If we were curling each other's hair and painting our nails, that'd be a different story!"

James howled with laughter, pounding his fist against the floor. Peter started mumbling about how that idea wasn't half bad.

"Now, spill it, Piers! We wanna know what kinda messes you've been in before our Moony!"

I rolled my eyes and pursed my lips. "Fine! I don't know why it matters at all, though!" I sat up and shook my head, blearily blinking my eyes. At least I could still see straight, even though everything was fuzzy. Remus never mentioned anything about that, though! Hah!

"I've only had one boyfriend before," I slurred. "And that was…two years ago?" My brows scrunched in thought. "It didn't last long, either. We were always gettin' into trouble. He treated me fine, but…" I shrugged, making vague hand gestures. "One day we just didn't feel the thrill no more. And that was that."

"You just didn't feel the thrill?" repeated James. "The hell's that s'pposed to mean?"

"Oh, you know, the kinda high we would get by doin' stuff that we wasn't s'pposed to be doin'. We just didn't have it anymore."

"You're not ever gonna do that to Moony, are you?" Peter asked me. Peter had been much more talkative once he'd started drinking, even wrapping his arm around me at one point. James and Sirius groaned. Apparently they'd been planning on asking a variation of the question in a less blunt manner.

"Of course not!" I said, appalled he would even ask. "Remus is different! It ain't 'bout the gettin' the adrenaline pumpin' or any of that shit with him. With him, it's about…it's about," I grinned stupidly, "makin' each other happy."

"Awwwww," cooed Sirius, giggling. "So you _can_ be sentimental, Piers!"

"Don't have ta sound so surprised," I muttered indignantly. "I am human, you know!"

"Damn, no need to get so riled up!"

"I'll show you riled up, you little–!"

I moved towards Sirius, who shrieked like a little girl and covered his face with his hands. Before I could make it across the floor to him, though, I landed flat on my face. Everyone burst into laughter.

"Oi!" Peter said excitedly. He brandished a bottle of something, his pudgy cheeks a vivid shade of red. "I found some more booze!"

And the rest of the night passed by in a blur.

* * *

><p>By Monday it seemed that the whole school knew about Remus and me. Apparently it was a big deal that one of the Marauders was now off the market. Some girls, after seeing Remus and I walk down the halls with our hands held together, burst out sobbing and ran in the other direction. Of course, James and Sirius didn't make it any easier by wolf-whistling at us every time Remus and I so much as smiled at each other. It also didn't help that I had a hangover for half of the day, which gave off the wrong impression to some people.<p>

So I was happy to get out of the castle and go to Quidditch practice later in the evening. I could finally get away from all the stares and whispers. Remus assured me that it wouldn't last much longer, but I could barely it take it anymore. I'd nearly lost it with this group of Fourth Year girls who were discussing, rather loudly, about how Remus could've done far better than me.

I'd been so excited to get away from all the rumors, however, that I'd forgotten that my team consisted of Slytherins. When I walked into the locker room, they all began to smirk and snicker.

It was Gudgeon who spoke first. "We're all dying to know, Piers," he smirked, "Did you really disgrace the Slytherin name by getting together with a Gryffindor?"

"She's already betrayed the Slytherin name with her blood," laughed Rosier. I glared at him and was about to retort when Lucinda snapped,

"Stow it, the lot of you. And you better not bother Piers about her personal life during practice, or I'll have your head."

"Aw, sticking up for your friend, are you, Talkalot?" purred Gudgeon. Lucinda rolled her eyes.

"I just don't want any distractions during practice, you twit. I've had it up to here with you lot always fooling around during practice. Today, I'm gonna make you practice so hard you'll wish you'd been Sorted into Hufflepuff." With that, she lifted her broom and started towards the fields. Gudgeon sighed and stood up, apparently resigned, and started after her. The rest of us followed suit and marched out into the wet fields.

"Now, I need you all to gather around and listen," Lucinda said briskly, stopping in the middle of the field and facing us. "I know we're not having our next match until May, but this is going to be _my last chance_ at the Quidditch cup. With our loss from Gryffindor"–some grimaces went about the team–"and our rather pathetic win over Ravenclaw (lucky you got good eyes, Black), I know our shot at the Quidditch cup is slim. But there's still a chance, and if we practice our ruddy arses off, we may actually be able to win that cup." Her eyes were filled with a fierce determination and her voice full of passion. "And we _will_ win that cup, because we are one hell of a team, and because we are one hell of a House. You mess with the house of the snake, and you–?"

"Get tossed in the lake!" roared my teammates, lifting their brooms and whooping. I grinned despite myself. Lucinda always knew how to get my teammates all riled up. Even I, who barely had an inch of pride in my House, felt more determined to win than ever before.

We practiced well into the dark of the night, stopping only after Gudgeon and Crouch crashed into one another (it was so dark that they couldn't even see where they were going). We dragged ourselves back to the Common Room, exhausted and rather irritable. Even Peeves was no match for us – the moment he started to taunt us, Rosier shot a hex so powerful that Peeves was blasted off toward the other side of the castle.

Before we turned into the dungeons, however, I heard a shout of my name. I turned to see Stebbins on the other side of the corridor, waving towards me. I sighed. I wasn't really in the mood to chat with him.

"Hey," I shouted, "I'm a little tired right now, is it alright if we talk tomorrow?"

I was surprised to hear him yell an indignant "No!" Feeling even more annoyed, I split apart from the rest of my team to head towards him.

"Already cheating on your boyfriend, Piers?" Rosier drawled. There was a wicked grin on his sickly pale features. "Can't say I'm surprised." The rest of the team paused in their descent down the stairs to watch our argument unfold.

"Just because I'm talking to a person of the opposite gender doesn't mean I'm cheating," I said irritably, rolling my eyes at him. "Really, that's just ridiculous. I'm sure every girl that's talked to you before has had absolutely no intentions of sleeping with you." Lucinda laughed and Rosier turned to glare at her. "I mean...c'mon, dude. You look like the Bloody Baron, just without the blood."

"It's not like a need a girl," he snorted. "I don't need some bitch pestering me all day."

"You're really only saying that 'cause you haven't gotten laid before."

"You sound like you have a lot of expertise in the field," he countered.

"Everything alright over here?" Stebbins sidled over, glancing between Rosier and me.

"Come to collect your whore, Stebbins?" sneered Rosier. "I hope she doesn't overprice you; I can only imagine how hopeless she is in bed..."

"You son of a–"

Stebbins had beat me to it, however, by whipping out his wand and pointing it at Rosier's throat. Rosier narrowed his eyes into little slits.

"You don't want to threaten me," he hissed, "if you know what's good for you."

"And if you know what's good for you," countered Stebbins, "you move on down to your dorm and never call Alex that word again."

"Make me," Rosier hissed, drawing out his own wand and pointing it at Stebbins's face. There was a brief moment of silence in which the two just stared each other down.

"That's enough," Lucinda snapped. "You two are bloody pathetic. I"ll Stupefy the both of you myself if you don't knock it off."

They slowly lowered their wands, though their eyes were still glued to one another. "C'mon, Rosier," Gudgeon called out. "We've still got homework to do. Hex him another day."

"You should consider yourself lucky," Rosier hissed, before he grudgingly turned and walked toward the rest of my teammates. I heard him mutter to Regulus, "At least she's not dating your brother; would've made him an even bigger blood traitor..."

"You shouldn't have done that," I groaned to Stebbins as soon as the others were out of earshot. "Now he's gonna wanna get back at you."

"I'm not afraid of him," Stebbins snorted, stowing his wand away in his pocket. "Let him come."

I sighed. "You better get back to your Common Room."

"Not yet," he argued. "You and I still need to talk. I've been waiting to get a chance with you all day."

"What's up, then?" I asked impatiently.

"Oh, nothing really," he said, rolling his eyes. I raised my eyebrows at him in surprise. It was rare seeing Stebbins be sarcastic, let alone annoyed or angry. "I was just wondering when you were going to tell me that you started dating Lupin."

"Oh." I blinked at him. "I'm sorry, I guess I've just been so caught up with everything that I forgot to tell you." I frowned slightly. "I don't know why you're so upset, though."

He looked exasperated. "I'm upset because I had to find out from rumors instead of directly from you. I thought we were at least close enough for you to tell me that you were dating some other bloke."

"He's not a bloke," I said, not letting that comment slide. "And I said I forgot, didn't I? It's been a long day, I guess I just didn't really even consider…I'm sorry, okay?"

He softened. "That's alright," he mumbled. He glanced away and sighed. "It just…it hurts a bit, I guess." He paused, and then added, "Not often I get turned down, y'know."

"Sounds like I hurt your ego more than your feelings."

He laughed softly. "That's not true," he argued, but there wasn't enough power in his voice for me to believe him. I smiled and nudged him gently.

"Don't worry," I assured him. "I'm sure there are plenty of girls that'll fall for your charm."

"I kinda liked the chase, though," he admitted, a tad sheepishly. "It doesn't happen very often, you see. It was fun."

Of course it didn't so happen, I thought shrewdly, since practically every girl swooned over him. But I certainly knew a girl or two who wouldn't fall for him so easily… "If you're looking for a challenge," I grinned, "you should try out Lucinda."

Lucinda would most definitely be a challenge. Hell, she probably wasn't really into the dating zone right now, especially since it was her last few months at school. But I couldn't stop myself from blurting out her name. It would be _very_ interesting to watch Stebbins attempt to woo her. Just the thought of it made me wanna laugh.

He arched an eyebrow. "Talkalot?" he said dubiously. "She seems more like she'd just kick my arse."

"At first, probably," I agreed. "But I have a feeling she might find your persistence a bit of a turn-on after a while…"

His eyebrow only rose higher. "I think she'll just find me annoying."

I shrugged and sighed. "Well, I'm not saying you have to go and bother the girl. Just an option. She is very pretty, don't you think?" I added, pretending it was an afterthought.

"Already trying to hook me up after breaking my heart, huh?" He tried to sound offended, but the smile that was tugging at the corner of his lips said otherwise. "That hurts, love. That hurts." He clenched at his chest dramatically.

"Just trying to heal your heart faster," I joked, winking at him. I sobered. "We're cool, though, right? No harm done?"

He smiled. "Yeah, we're alright." He stared at me a moment, his eyes roving over my face, before he laughed softly.

"What?" I asked, smiling in confusion.

"I was just thinking…" He shook his head. "It wasn't really much of a contest to begin with – between Lupin and me, I mean," he added at my puzzled expression. "He's been crazy about you for so long. Honestly, I'm surprised you never noticed. How oblivious could you be?"

"It couldn't have been _that_ obvious," I argued, feeling a bit defensive.

"Oh, but it was," he grinned. "It's the way he looks at you, Alex…a guy only looks at a girl like that when he's head over heels for her." His grin softened into a genuine smile. "I'm glad you found yourself a guy who really cares about you."

"Thanks," I said softly, touched. "I know I'm a lucky girl."

"You are," he agreed, "but he's also a lucky guy." I raised my eyebrows at him. "Really," he laughed softly. "You're a good person, Alex. A better one than you give yourself credit for, actually." I said nothing. "And I think Remus appreciates that about you. But if he doesn't, don't hesitate to tell me – I'll give him a piece of my mind." He winked at me.

I laughed gently. "Thanks, but I don't think there's anything to worry about."

"Me neither," he admitted, smiling softly. "I wish you guys the best of luck." He extended a hand out towards me, but I pushed aside it and wrapped him in a bear hug. He laughed in surprise and added, "Though I guess he needs it more than you."

I laughed and shoved him away playfully.

"Well, I've kept you long enough," he said, glancing at his silver wristwatch. "I'll see you some other time, then?"

"Yeah," I grinned. "For sure. I'll catch you later!"

"Goodnight," he smiled, waving briefly at me before disappearing around the corner. I smiled softly to myself and shook my head before heading down towards my Common Room. I was too exhausted to change out of my filthy Quidditch robes, so I splayed out in my bed and slept in them. And for the first time that day, I finally had a moment of peace to myself.

* * *

><p><em>Yes, it's official. Alex and Remus are FINALLY a couple. Took them long enough.<em>

_So, obviously, this chapter was more about everyone's reactions towards Remus and Alex getting together. The actual development of their relationship will start in the next chapter, and I warn you, there will be plenty of fluff. Be prepared. :)_

_I also just wanted to take another moment to thank all of my readers and reviewers. Thanks for your support!_


	26. Chapter 26

There was a knock on the door and a soft, "Alex?" I glanced up from my overflowing pile of parchment to see Remus hanging by the doorway, watching me hesitantly. He was out of his school uniform and was dressed in jeans and a button-up shirt. I always liked the way he looked in his casual attire. It suited him well.

"Hey," I said, hoping that I kept the desperation out of my voice. "I know, I'm late, I'm sorry, there's just so much–"

"Hey, hey," he said soothingly, stepping into the classroom. "It's alright. We can always go some other time." He smiled reassuringly at me.

"But I promised you that we would go today!" I argued. "And we will, just gimme a sec…"

"You don't have to overexert yourself–"

"Mr. Lupin?" Slughorn, stepping into the classroom, appeared mildly surprised. He had left a while ago, probably tiring of watching me file his papers, and was now holding a muffin and a mug of coffee in his hands. "What are you doing here?"

"Professor Slughorn," greeted Remus, "I just came by to check on Alex. I hope you don't mind."

Slughorn's eyes lit up and he excitedly looked back and forth between Remus and me. "No, not at all, my boy!" He grinned and placed a hand on Remus's shoulder. "As a matter of a fact, why don't you take a break, Miss. Piers?" He sent me a quick wink. "I know you must be sick of all that filing."

As nice as it was for him to offer me a break just so that I could spend some time with Remus (obviously Slughorn was excited that we had gotten together), it wasn't quite enough for me. "Actually," I blurted, unable to stop myself, "could I just get the rest of detention off?" Remus sent me an admonishing frown.

Slughorn glanced at the clock and frowned. "But you still have another hour scheduled with me."

"I know," I smiled, "but I promised Remus that we'd–"

"I told you that it's alright," Remus interjected, giving me a look that said 'don't push it'. "Really, I don't mind."

"I promised Remus that we'd go on a date," I continued as if he hadn't said anything. Slughorn glanced at Remus in surprise, and he looked away out of embarrassment. "And I know it was irresponsible of me, scheduling it at this time, but there wasn't really any alternative." Hogsmeade was closed off to students at six today, and it was already four. To top it off, it would take half an hour just to get there.

"But you also promised _me_ that you'd stay until four o'clock," Slughorn admonished. "Your date will have to wait until after that."

"But Mr. Slughorn!" I whined, barely recognizing my own voice. I could also sense Slughorn and Remus's surprise; I bet that they never imagined that I could stoop so low as to beg. "This is our first official date! It'll just be this one time, I promise. I'll come in extra early tomorrow to finish filing!" I looked up at him desperately, hoping that he sympathized me.

"Alex!" Remus reprimanded, appalled at my behavior. "That's enough."

Slughorn, however, appeared thoughtful. He glanced back and forth between Remus and me, a thoughtful crinkle upon his brow. Then he raised his hands in defeat and sighed. "Alright, alright. You can leave early."

I squealed and jumped out of my chair in excitement, eliciting a hearty chuckle from Slughorn and an exasperated smile from Remus. "Oh, thank you, thank you, _thank you_, Mr. Slughorn!" I grabbed my bag and dashed off towards the two, beaming at my Potions teacher. "You're the best!"

He chortled and waved me off. "Yes, yes. Now, go on, before the Headmaster catches me. Or, even worse, before Minerva catches me." His eyes twinkled humorously, and I could tell that Remus was fighting back a laugh. "But I expect to see you here at eight o'clock sharp tomorrow morning, young lady!" He waggled a finger at me sternly, but a smile was threatening to break out across his face.

"Yes, sir!" I grinned and saluted him. Hell, I would come even earlier just to show him that I really appreciated what he was doing for me.

"You don't have to do this, Professor," Remus said politely. I gave him a 'shut up the heck up' look. Why couldn't he just appreciate the moment and stop being so damn considerate? "Really. It's okay."

"And I'm telling _you_ that it's okay," smiled Slughorn, patting Remus on the back. "Miss. Piers promised to make up the time later, and that's all that matters. Besides…" He winked. "It's about time you two spend some alone time together. Enjoy your date."

Remus, despite his embarrassment, smiled and nodded. "Thank you, sir. I really appreciate this."

"Yes, thank you!" I cried for the umpteenth time. I looped my fingers through Remus's and started to drag him away. "I'll see you tomorrow morning!"

"Have fun," Slughorn called out, smiling and waving us away. Just as we exited the room, we heard him sigh wistfully and murmur, "Ah, young love…"

"I can't believe you just did that," Remus admonished as soon as we were out of earshot. We headed down the hall and towards the secret passageway we had agreed to take to Hogsmeade.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, c'mon, Remus! Slughorn didn't even mind!" It was a good thing Slughorn favored us students so much; if he didn't enjoy being so 'in' with the kids, he probably wouldn't have let me go.

"It was still rude," he pointed out. There was a disapproving frown upon his lips.

I gave him a look. "You're acting as if I've never been rude."

He opened his mouth to argue, but must've realized that I was right, since he clamped his mouth shut. He pouted slightly.

"Lighten up!" I poked him on the cheek, making him crinkle his nose all cutely. "We're off to our first date, after all; can't you act _a little_ more excited?"

"It_ is_ a date with you," he teased, a smile threatening to break out across his face. "It's hard to get excited for that."

I gasped dramatically, a hand flying to my chest. "Well! If that's how you feel, maybe you should go on a date with one of your old girlfriends instead."

His jaw dropped and I struggled to hold my laugh. "O-old girlfriends?" His voice rose uncharacteristically. Nervously, he tugged on the collar of his shirt. "Wh-what d'you mean?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. Who knew that talking about old girlfriends would make Remus tense up? Or was it really such a taboo to talk about old relationships during your current one? He probably feared that I would get jealous or angry – which, for the record, I wouldn't!

"I still remember that day you and Stebbins were arguing about your old girlfriends, y'know. If I recall correctly, you had quite a few." I could barely hide the amused smirk that was fighting its way across my lips. It was funny seeing him all flustered like this. Honestly, it wasn't even a big deal that he had exes, but his reaction was just too priceless not to keep going with it.

"Err, is that so?" He gulped and tugged on the collar of his shirt again. "I don't think so."

"There were at least three girls–"

"I didn't date them all," he interjected. My raised eyebrow rose higher.

"So you just…fooled around with them?"

He gasped scandalously. "N-no! Of course not!" He nearly stumbled over his own two feet, but caught himself in time. He was blushing hard and couldn't face me. I couldn't contain myself any longer; I burst out laughing.

"Aww, Remus, you're too cute!" He just blushed harder. "I'm only teasing you, y'know." I nudged him playfully. "I could care less about your exes. Because…" I grinned and tugged him down to my level. His eyes uneasily met mine. "You're mine now."

Since I didn't think it was physically possible for him to blush any harder, he just looked away, clearly abashed. I giggled, charmed even more by his bashfulness, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

For a moment I feared he would lose consciousness, but he managed to stay on his feet. Shaking his head vigorously, he picked up his pace, muttering something about how we would never make it to Hogsmeade at this rate. I noticed that he skimmed his fingers across the cheek I'd kissed him on. I giggled and shook my head out of amusement before heading off after him.

* * *

><p>By the time we arrived at Hogsmeade, there weren't many students left. We had a little over an hour before we were kicked out of the village. More adults were filing in, and I had to watch out in case somebody caught me wandering around. There were one or two close calls, but nobody seemed to have noticed me.<p>

Hogsmeade was like a different place without snow. The buildings were smaller and humbler than I'd thought them to be. Although it was no longer the picturesque winter wonderland, the village was still charming and pretty.

But it wasn't quite the spring weather that made Hogsmeade seem like a different place to me. Though I couldn't quite explain why, having Remus by my side as we laughed and joked our way through stores made me feel like I was seeing the village for the first time all over again. We explored some places I had yet to see – like the post office, filled with hundreds of screeching owls – and revisited our favorite shops, spending the most time in Honeydukes (seeing as this was practically a paradise for Remus).

"How are those jelly slugs?" Remus asked me, munching on his chocolate wand. We walked out of Honeydukes and back into the streets.

I handed him one and crinkled my nose. "They're a little too squirmy for my liking. I feel like I'm eating a real slug." Briefly I wondered if it would explode like a real one if I sprinkled salt on it.

He took the squirming candy from my hand and popped it in his mouth. His expression was thoughtful as he chewed it and swallowed. He shrugged. "I dunno, I think they're good. A little too gummy, if anything." He offered me what was left of his chocolate wand. "Want some?"

"Yeah, sure." I took a bite of the wand. It was made of dark chocolate, bitterer than the milk chocolate I was accustomed to. I made a face.

"What?" Remus sounded surprised. "You don't like it?"

"I don't really like dark chocolate," I muttered, ripping off my jelly slug's head and chomping on it in an attempt to get rid of the taste in my mouth.

"Is that even possible?" he asked me incredulously. He appeared mildly offended at the thought of any chocolate tasting bad. I giggled.

"Yeah, it might surprise you, but some people are actually picky about their chocolate." He pursed his lips. "Though obviously you're not one of those people. You like anything with sugar in it." I nudged him affectionately and giggled again.

He shrugged sheepishly. "It's true. I do have a bit of a sweet tooth."

"I think 'a bit' is an understatement." He laughed. "Aren't you always carrying chocolate around on you?"

"It's good for you," he huffed, a tad defensively. "It can be used as an antidote against Dark Magic sometimes."

"Chocolate?" I asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "Really?"

He nodded. "Uh-huh. So I thought it wouldn't hurt to carry a bit with me at all times…y'know, just in case." He smiled as he realized how funny his logic must've seemed to me. Strange it was indeed to me. Just how often did he find himself confronted with Dark Magic?!

"Just in case?" I arched an eyebrow at him. "You mean, just in case you get hungry, right?"

"That too," he admitted, and I laughed. The sign on the shop behind him caught my eye, and I took a moment to gaze up at it. _Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop_, it read in squiggly pink letters. Remus glanced over his shoulder to see what I was looking at, and when he looked back at me, he seemed a bit apprehensive.

"What?" I frowned. "You don't like this store?" I recalled how, after my date with Stebbins, he had mentioned something about taking me to a tea shop on our 'next date' (which would never happen now, obviously).

"Not really," he admitted, "and I don't think you would either."

"Why not?" I asked curiously, trying to take a glance through one of the windows. What kinda place would Stebbins want to take me but Remus wouldn't?

He scratched the back of his head uncomfortably and shuffled his feet. "Well…it's known as a place that couples go to so that they can ogle over each other."

Immediately I had the impression that the store was full of couples giggling and cooing at one another as they shared a cup of tea. It must've been pretty bad if even Remus, a rather romantic guy, thought it was too much.

"Y'know I'm not about all that gooey crap," I smiled, winking at him. Yet I squeezed his hand affectionately. "I prefer showing my affections in private...I can show you later." My voice had dropped into a soft and what I hoped was a seductive purr. Remus, who clearly hadn't been anticipating my sudden change in demeanor, practically jumped out of his skin. His face flooded a vivid shade of red and what was left of his chocolate wand fell out of his hands. I struggled not to laugh at his reaction.

"A-Alex!" he gasped scandalously. Yet he couldn't hide the hint of eagerness and longing I saw glimmer briefly in his eyes.

"Yes?" I asked innocently, barely able to stop the giggle that was struggling to escape my lips. He was just too cute!

He opened and closed his mouth, apparently at a loss of words, before glancing quickly away. His cheeks were still a bright red.

Knowing I'd embarrassed him enough for one day, I laughed gently and nudged him. "I'm only teasing you, babe." I swore I saw a flicker of disappointment in his eyes, and, raising my eyebrows, I added, "Unless, of course, you've already made plans for tonight."

Since his cheeks were as red as they could get, the flush traveled down towards his neck. "O-of course not!" he huffed, tugging on the collar of his shirt and gulping nervously. I was about to tease him more when I realized that I was making him too uncomfortable. So I slowed my walking down to a halt and tugged on his hand, forcing him to stop as well. He faced me grudgingly, though he dared not look into my eyes, instead offering me the view of his handsome, blushing profile.

"Look at me, Remus." I took his other hand into mine so that both of my hands were entwined with both of his. He faced me a moment later, his eyes resting on mine. "Listen, all jokes aside…I like the pace we're going at. I know we haven't really done anything major"—he fidgeted a bit—"but I'm fine with that. Unless you feel differently, I'm comfortable with the way our relationship is going." I smiled.

He smiled at last. The flush on his neck was gone. "I like the rate we're going at, too." He hesitated and then finally let something off his chest that he must've been holding for some time, based on the way he rushed it all out, "I know I might not be quite as…_affectionate_ as other guys might be, but–"

I cut him off, shaking my head. "You don't have to show your affection by sleeping with me, y'know." Remus's blush deepened. I knew I must've voiced his greatest concern. "We'll get there when we get there; we'll know when the time is right." The same could've been said about our first kiss. Although we haven't had it yet, it really didn't matter to me, and it shouldn't matter to him. We had to move at a pace _we_ were comfortable with, regardless of whatever others (Sirius was a particular concern) may say. "Besides…" I grinned and held up our entwined hands. "We're holding hands, aren't we? That's what I call affectionate."

He laughed softly. "I guess so, but…" He brought my hands up to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on each of them. Warmth flooded through my hands and to the rest of my body. The very tips of my toes even tingled. "You deserve more than just that." He smiled very handsomely at me, illuminating those pretty liquid eyes of his, and I swore I was about to swoon.

I managed to stay on my feet, however, despite the stupid grin I must've gave him. "Then so do you." I pulled our entwined hands towards me and kissed his hands, though I doubt it wasn't nearly a charming gesture when I did it. To my surprise, however, Remus was blushing hard when I looked back at him.

Before we could further embarrass one another, a snide voice remarked, "Well, well, well. If it isn't Hogwarts' latest celebrity couple."

I knew that voice all too well. Remus and I turned to see Avery, Rosier, Mulciber, and Snape walking towards us, all of them wearing wicked smirks on their ugly faces. I sighed in irritation. Of course.

"You two must be loving all the attention you're getting," sneered Snape, his thin lips curling. "You never stop seeking it, do you?"

I opened my mouth to heatedly retort, but Remus stopped me before I could.

"C'mon, Alex," he murmured darkly, taking my arm and turning the other way. His demeanor had changed instantly; whereas a second ago his eyes were soft and brown, they were now beginning to glow amber. His grip on my arm was unintentionally rough. It seemed like he was more likely to lose his temper than I was. "Let's go."

"Oh, don't go!" Rosier shouted after us. "We were just getting started!"

"Are you taking her to the Shrieking Shack, Lupin?" Snape called out after us with a mirthless laugh. Remus visibly stiffened and lost his footing. Something in his expression flickered – was that a hint of fear? "That'd be great for a date, don't you think?" There was some kinda meaningful undertone in Snape's voice that I didn't understand.

"Oh, screw off!" I shouted after them irritably, unable to contain myself any longer, glancing over my shoulder to flip them the bird. "Why don't you four go enjoy your time at Madam Puddifoot's? That'd be such a cute double date!"

They shouted after us indignantly, but we ignored them, quickening our pace so that we could get away from them faster. At least they hadn't followed us. It would've meant more trouble for them than for us, though.

"God, I can't believe those guys," I muttered irritably. "Is it impossible for you and me to just have a moment of peace alone?"

Remus chuckled half-heartedly. He seemed to be calming down, but there was still something off in his expression. He seemed upset, if anything. "Doesn't seem like it."

I didn't reply, hesitating for a moment. It had to be what Snape had said that had Remus acting all weird like this, and I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to ask him why. But… "What's the Shrieking Shack, Remus?"

Remus sighed and abruptly stopped walking. He rubbed his temple as if exhausted, and suddenly I realized just how tired he looked. The full moon must've been on its way (though I guessed I shoulda figured that out when I saw his eyes change color). "I wanted to tell you properly…certainly didn't want you to find out about it like that…"

I gently placed my hand on his cheek. "What is it, babe?"

He placed his hand over mine and laced our fingers together. He looked at me through his dark eyelashes, his liquid brown eyes shimmering in the light. "…Let me show you." His voice cracked as he spoke. Without another word, he lowered our entwined hands, and started towards the outskirts of Hogsmeade. He seemed to become more and more anxious as we drew further away from the village. When he finally stopped, we had situated ourselves in front of a shabby looking shack. The windows and door on it were all boarded up so that we couldn't see anything inside. Aside from that, there didn't appear to be anything particularly strange about it.

"This is the Shrieking Shack," Remus said at last. His voice was a bare whisper, and it sounded ghostly. "It's rumored by the villagers to be haunted." The wind picked up and made our hair fly about. Remus was paler than ever before, his eyes transfixed on the seemingly insignificant shack.

I was starting to feel freaked out. Remus _was_ acting as if the place was haunted; had something happened to him in it? "…Is it?" I whispered, fearing his answer.

"No," he said grimly, shaking his head. "Evil spirits don't lurk in there." He chuckled darkly. "It's something worse."

"Remus…" I squeezed the hand I held and used my other to tilt his face towards me. "What is it? You can tell me anything."

He smiled softly, illuminating those pretty liquid eyes of his. "I know." He tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear and smiled wider. "I know. And I think that, now that we're dating, there shouldn't be any secrets between us…so I think it's only right that I tell you what really happens in the Shrieking Shack."

I waited patiently and quietly, giving him all the time he needed to compose himself. Clearly whatever went on in the Shack was a big deal to him.

After he seemed to have calmed down, Remus glanced around us and raised his wand, casting what appeared to be a bubble around us, so that nobody from the outside could hear our conversation. I raised my eyebrows, surprised at how serious the topic was going to be if he didn't want anybody else hearing it.

"So," he said at last, "the Shrieking Shack doesn't have any evil spirits, but the villagers only believe so because of all the screams and noises they hear from it. But, whether anybody's noticed or not, that only happens around the full moon." He only had to finish his sentence and give me a meaningful look for me to understand. The Shrieking Shack was where Remus went to transform, and what the villagers heard were not evil spirits but Remus's wailing.

But something was missing. "Then…" I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why did Snape mention anything about this? What was he trying to say?"

Remus sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Snape knows that I'm a werewolf because of a…prank Sirius played on him last year. Let's just say he ended up taking a glimpse of me, and Dumbledore made him swear not to tell anyone. Of course," he added, "I guess that didn't stop him from dropping a hint. I suppose he wanted you to figure out my secret."

"Asshole," I muttered. "He should keep his nose out of other people's business. Guess it's hard for him, though, since his nose is so freakin' huge."

Remus laughed in surprise. "So _that's_ why he's so nosy!"

"Uh, yeah, it took you this long to figure out?" I teased. I sobered after a moment. "Really, though, thanks for showing me this, Remus. I know it means a lot to you." I paused. "And it means a lot to _me_ that you'd tell me this."

It must've been hard for him to open up to me and tell me something so personal. Of course, I doubted that anything got more personal than telling me the fact that he was a werewolf, but this just added another layer to the werewolf ordeal. I knew that the Shack must've conjured some pretty bad memories, so it had to have been difficult for him to open up and share another private piece of himself.

He smiled softly. "_You_ mean a lot to me." He looked exceptionally handsome right there and then, with the sun setting behind him and causing rays of sunlight to cast across his face.

"Aww," I murmured, smiling. "You mean a lot to me too!" I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face against his chest. I took in the scent of his laundry detergent and chocolate. It never failed to comfort me.

He enclosed his arms around me, sending his radiating warmth through me, and kissed me on the top of my head. I felt a tingle down my spine and shivered. He must've thought that the shiver meant I was cold, since he pulled me even closer to me. I sighed in content. I would've loved to stay wrapped up in his arms like that forever, but, unfortunately, that wasn't possible (and I probably would've tired of standing anyway). Remus brought us crashing back to reality when he breathed sharply,

"Shite. I think it's past six."

I withdrew from his arms and was surprised to see how dark the sky had become. "D'you think we could sneak through the village and get away?"

"Doubt it," he admitted. "But we don't have much of a choice. C'mon, let's go." He took my hand in his and started back toward the village.

"Guess you must have some experience sneaking around, huh?" I teased quietly, smiling affectionately. I could only imagine how much he had done over the years with the rest of the boys.

"Don't act all sweet and innocent," he murmured back. His eyes glinted mischievously in the dark of the night. "You probably have more expertise in the area than I do."

He was probably right. I'd spent one too many nights sneaking out of home to head down to the latest concert, or whatever it was I had felt like doing for the night. So I smirked and shrugged. Neither of us spoke again as we quietly maneuvered our way behind and past the village shops. We were doing pretty well until the backdoor of a pub opened, flooding us with light and–

"Oi, you two!"

I swore loudly. Remus glanced at me, fear evident in his wide eyes.

"Come here!"

Remus and I just had to share one look to know that we were both thinking the same thing: we were screwed.

I sighed as he and I approached the man in the door frame. He looked strangely godlike, with the light streaming from behind him, and when I drew closer to him I gasped in shock. His beard and hair may have been darker and grizzlier than Dumbledore's, and his glasses were certainly a lot dirtier, but there was no denying the resemblance between the two. They had the same long nose (except this man's nose wasn't crooked), and even through the dirty lenses I could see that the man had the same piercing blue eyes as Dumbledore.

"Just what do you two think you're doing out here?!" The man's voice was husky and rough; it was nothing from the soft and gentle voice that was Dumbledore's. "The village is closed off to students after six!"

"We lost track of time, sir," Remus started. He was nervously strumming his fingers against his leg. "We didn't mean to stay out–"

The man snorted. "You really think I'll believe that? I bet you two were trying to steal some booze from my shop! Is that right?" His gaze were so penetrating that it was intimidating.

Remus was appalled at the accusation. "No, sir, we would never!"

"Really, mister," I began, "we never intended to–"

"Then what are you doing, sneaking around the back of my shop?" he barked.

"We were just trying to avoid getting in trouble," I admitted sheepishly. "Thought we might be able to sneak back into the castle without anybody noticing us."

The man snorted. "And you really thought that would work?" Remus and I glanced at each other. I shrugged sheepishly. "Well, it wouldn't, since we've set up an enchantment around the village. You wouldn't be able to get out without somebody's help."

I blinked. "Oh." Well. That definitely made me feel dumb.

Before the man could reply, no doubt to make a mockery of us, a voice from behind him bellowed, "What's takin' yer so long, Aberforth?! I'm still waitin' on me drink!"

"Come over here and lend me a hand, won't you?" the man called Aberforth shouted over his shoulder. "I've found myself in a bit of a situation." He looked back at us to raise his eyebrows meaningfully. Remus and I were silent. However, I reached out towards him and looped my index finger around his pinky. Just to let him know that we'd be okay. He gave me a quick smile before looking back down at his feet.

It was a few moments before the other man arrived, and I wondered how he had managed to squeeze into the bar in the first place. He was a beast of a man, towering a good few feet over Aberforth, and was at least twice his width. Something about him reminded me of a huge bear, with his paw-like hands and grizzly facial hair. A pair of black eyes were barely visible beneath the mess of hair, and I was surprised to see how kind they appeared.

"Look what we have here, Hagrid," Aberforth said, gesturing towards Remus and me. "These students decided to ignore the curfew tonight."

"But–" I started.

"I'll be damned," the huge man named Hagrid said. He was rubbing his hairy chin thoughtfully. "Never thought I'd catch yer in trouble, Remus. Yet here yer are, and with a _girl._" He was having trouble hiding his grin. "Surprised that I haven't caught yer with the rest o' yer gang instead." He chortled but was silenced by the look Aberforth sent him. He cleared his throat. "Just what are yer and yer friend"—he sent a quick glance towards me—"still doing out here at this time?" Briefly I wondered just how late it was and could only hope that it wasn't too far past six. The longer we'd stayed out, the more trouble we'd be in.

"We lost track of time," Remus said genuinely. "Really, Hagrid, we just made an honest mistake." He hung his head guiltily. "We're really sorry. It'll never happen again." He glanced at me. "Right, Alex?"

"Yeah." I nodded vigorously. "Really, misters, we didn't mean for it to happen. We're sorry." I hoped that I could play off looking as guilty as Remus did, but I didn't think I quite pulled it off. Aberforth was mumbling about how Dumbledore wasn't strict enough on the kids and didn't have a good handle on us. Hagrid, however, gasped loudly when I spoke and did a double take, as if seeing me properly for the first time.

"Yer Alex Piers!" he bellowed. I blinked at him.

"Uh, yeah, hi."

"This ain't no time fer pleasantries!" he shouted, stepping out from the door (he had to duck so that he could squeeze through). Now that he was directly in front of me, he felt even bigger and more unrealistic than before. "The Headmaster's lookin' fer yer!"

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Dumbledore's looking for me? What for?"

His eyes flickered. "I can't say, but it's important, I can tell yer that!" He grasped my arm, and I was surprised at the gentleness of his grip. I noted that his hand practically took up half of my arm. "C'mon, we gotta get a move on! Yer come too, Remus, and help me with the enchantment, will yer, Aberforth?"

Fifteen minutes later Hagrid and I were knocking on Dumbledore's door. I was heaving out of exertion, since we had practically sprinted the way here. Remus was currently waiting by the stone gargoyle that opened the path to Dumbledore's office. Despite Hagrid's insistence, he had refused to return to his Common Room, and had promised me that he would wait for me until I was done. Something had sparkled in Hagrid's eyes when Remus had said that, and it only made me more uneasy.

"Come in."

Hagrid swung the door open and stomped in. "Professor Dumbledore, sir," he said in that deep and loud voice of his, "I found 'er, I found Miss. Piers! She was out in Hogsmeade, she was, past curfew."

I grimaced and swore underneath my breath. Great. That was definitely gonna be another reason for Dumbledore to expel me, as if he wasn't already set on it. That was, after all, what I believed that this meeting must've been about.

"Thank you, Hagrid," came Dumbledore's calm and crystal clear voice. Hagrid nodded and stepped aside for me to enter. I took a deep breath and prepared myself. I straightened my posture and stepped resolutely into Dumbledore's office, hoping that I didn't look too scared. I nearly pissed myself in surprise, though, when I saw who was standing beside Dumbledore.

"L-Luke?" I choked out in shock, nearly stumbling over in surprise. Just what the hell was he doing here?!

My brother was quiet. Dumbledore watched me very carefully as Luke stepped around his desk and towards me. His face was graver than I'd ever seen it before; it looked as if he had aged at least five years. "Alex," he greeted me, very softly. He had never spoken to me in such a way. So delicately, so fragilely, as if scared that the next words he said would break me.

And I knew. I knew in that very second, I knew before he said it. My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach and for a few moments I forgot how to breathe. Then my brother said the two words I was dreading to hear, the words I was hoping and praying that he wouldn't utter:

"It's Dad."

* * *

><p><em>Hi guys. How are you all doing today? Well, I hope. :) So, there are five chapters I have planned for the rest of this story. Yup, only five more. Of course, that might change, since I tend to add a lot of stuff to my plot while I'm actually writing out the chapter, but for now the plan is five. <em>

_As always, thanks to all my readers and reviewers. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! Have a good day, everyone!_


	27. Chapter 27

My father was a strong and capable man. He was tough and made of steel; nothing could break his resolve or his capabilities. He strode around with a sense of purpose and authority. His peers practically bowed down to him. He was a very well-respected man.

I didn't see anything remotely resembling to that man lying on the hospital bed before me. He appeared corpse-like, with his deathly pale skin and his limp, fragile body. There were blotches of purple bruises and red cuts scattered across his skin, particularly around his face. One of his eyes was purple and appeared to be swollen shut. His nose was bandaged, and his left leg was wrapped in a thick cast. He was hooked up to all sorts of wires, and it made him appear strangely unhuman; freakish, even.

The only indication that he was even alive was the steady rising and falling of his chest and of the graph on the heartbeat monitor hooked up to him. Otherwise, if the wires were taken off of him, he looked as if he belonged in a casket. I felt a sudden lurch in the pit of my stomach at the thought. I had to quickly glance away to regain my composure.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked me quietly.

"…Yeah." I cleared my throat and redirected my attention towards my father – or what I believed was my father. "…Is that…is that really him?"

He smiled sympathetically at me. "Yeah, it is. It's hard to recognize him, isn't it?" His voice grew thick with emotion.

I nodded slowly. Honestly, the only part I recognized about him was his blonde hair. How could that man lying so lifelessly on the bed be my father? How could my father to be reduced to such a broken and fragile bundle? Michael Piers was a fiery, stubborn, and resilient man. Why wasn't he walking around his bed and shouting about suing the sonuva bitch that had rammed into his car?

The answer was quite obvious and simple, of course. A car crash – or any unexpected and serious accident, for that matter – could make even the strongest of us fall. I could only hope and pray that my father would not have too difficult a time standing back up. If he needed help readjusting, I, along with Luke, I was sure, would be there to guide and support him.

I slowly approached the bed. His injuries appeared even worse up close. His lip was bruised and busted, and the gashes and wounds were even deeper than I'd thought them to be. Standing closer to him made it even more difficult to recognize him.

"I'll give you some time." My brother's murmur was barely audible. "Just call me if you need anything, or ring for the nurse. I'll be right outside."

I glanced at him and gave him the smallest of smiles, nodding gratefully. I couldn't bring myself to speak. He gave me a delicate smile in return before quietly and quickly shuffling out of the room. An eerie silence followed. The only sound I could hear was the heavy breathing of my father.

I sank down in the chair by his bed. I stared at him for the longest time, taking in every scar, bruise, and wrinkle. It suddenly occurred to me how old and ashen my father looked. Maybe it had to do with the way he was so fragile that it made him seem almost grandpa-like. But it was more than that. There was a sense of tiredness, of a bone-weariness, he exuded. My father had often joked how I would make him older before his time (since I'd always been such a difficult child), and I realized now that very may well have been the case.

I slowly reached out towards him and took his ice cold hand in mine. I smiled at him. "Hey, Daddy."

Silence replied.

I cleared my throat. "Luke told me what happened. Don't worry, though, we'll get the bastard that crashed into you. He shoulda known better than to mess with a Piers." I smiled, half-hoping that he would open his eyes and admonish me for my language. But he merely slept on. His eyebrows were slightly knotted together, as if he was concentrated in thought.

"The doctors say you'll be okay. With time, of course. I know you're gonna hate the physical therapy – probably shout about how you don't need any damn help, what with you and your damn pride – but it's good for you. In fact, if you don't keep up with the therapy, you'll probably end up in a wheelchair for the rest of your life. And I know you'd hate that even more than the therapy – nothing and nobody restricts Michael Piers, am I right?"

I didn't know why, but I still eagerly awaited his response. Again, I was disappointed to see that he just continued to sleep, completely oblivious to me. But I found comfort in speaking to him, even if he didn't respond, so I spoke again.

"And don't worry about work. Luke's got it covered. Chrysler will survive without their financial adviser for a few days, I assure you."

I didn't really know what else to say, so I became quiet. Sunlight streamed in through the windows and landed upon my father's sickly pale face, making him appear even paler than he already was.

Memories flashed before my eyes. I was sitting upon my father's shoulders and attempting to be as tall as the giraffe I saw before me, stretching out my arms as high as they could reach. My mother – she had long hair at the time, oh, how young and pretty she was – laughed at me. My older brother, who had to have been around eight or nine, did not seem so amused, and instead redirected his attention to the zebras.

I was younger now, and came home crying with bruises on my knees and blood dripping down my elbows. My father had been in the middle of writing some sorta report when he saw me. He immediately placed his stuff down and rushed towards me, examining my injuries. He wiped away my tears, kissed me on the head, and assured me that I was going to be alright.

Over ten years flew by since that flashback, and now my father and I were arguing like we always did. I shouted at him about how unfair he was being and how he just didn't 'get it'. He in turn yelled at me for being such an irresponsible kid ("I'm _not_ a kid!") and that I had no excuses. Our Christmases were always so tense.

"_You may call yourself my father, but you are not, and never will be, a real father to me!"_

The pure awfulness of those words hit me hard and sent me spiraling back into reality. I blinked a few times so that the father I had in the present – the one lying in bed, not the one in the zoo or the one who was reassuring my three year old self – came into focus. How could I have said such a terrible thing to him? What if his accident had been fatal and those had been the last words I'd ever spoken to him?

The thought made me feel uneasy. It was terrible to even consider the idea that Dad might've died in the accident, but, well, it had been a possibility. He could've died and, instead of watching him sleep on the bed, I might've had to watch his casket descend into the ground. We never would've tied up our loose ends. He could've died thinking that his own daughter hated him. And I, I would no longer have a father whom I could argue with, or confide in, or even just smile at.

Tears were brimming my eyes and blurring my vision. I didn't want our relationship to end like that. I wanted to be on good terms with him. We were family, after all; I was his flesh and blood. There was an inevitable connection between us, an invisible thread that could never be broken. If I ever needed him, I knew I could rely on him, though I might not have admitted so half a year ago. And if he ever needed me, I would be there for him – in fact, wasn't that why I was here at this very moment?

"I'm so sorry." My voice cracked as tears began to roll down my cheeks in fat droplets. I felt all the years of anger and frustration and hurt finally being released from my system; it felt as if waves of emotion were rolling off of me. "I'm sorry for all the horrible things I've ever said to you. Just because we don't see eye-to-eye doesn't mean I was allowed to treat you so terribly. For Christ's sake, you're my father." I laughed in disbelief, wiping away my tears. How could I have been so blind and clueless all these years? "It doesn't matter if we argue or if we live hours apart or that you and mom are divorced. None of it matters. You're still my father. And I still love you so, so much."

"…Alex?"

I almost screamed in surprise. My father's limp figure came alive as he opened one of his eyes (he couldn't open the other since it was so swollen) and tilted his head towards me. His eyebrows furrowed slightly when he saw me. His eye roamed all over me as if he had never seen anything quite like me before.

"…Is that really you?" he croaked. His voice was raspy and sounded like sawdust. It possessed none of the authority and clarity it usually had.

I quickly came to my senses when I realized that he was awaiting an answer. I felt a burst of joy in my chest to see that he could speak, that he was awake, that he was still alive. I had time. I had been granted another chance. I could mend the broken ties between us, and, finally, we could become a true father and daughter again.

I wiped away the tracks of tears upon my cheeks and smiled, leaning in towards him. I gently squeezed the hand of his I still held. "Yeah, Dad, it's me, Alex." I spoke softly, trying to keep him at ease. "How're you feeling?"

He didn't respond. He just stared at me as if I was an alien from outer space.

My excitement quickly dissipated into worry and unease. Was he seeing things clearly? Was he feeling alright? I made a move to stand. "Here, lemme call for the nurse–"

"I thought I was dead." His voice was as hollow as his expression, yet the words he spoke possessed so much power. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"What?" I whispered.

He wasn't looking at me anymore. He was looking past me, through me, lost in what must've been an awful memory. "I thought I was dead," he repeated. This time, I heard fear in his voice. He looked and sounded haunted. "I swear, I even saw a bright light…it was beckoning me towards it. And then I saw red flames. Oh, it was so awful...I wasn't ready to go. I wasn't ready to meet the Devil just yet."

I could almost see the red flames reflected in his eye. For the first time in my life, I saw true fear flicker in my father's eye.

I opened my mouth to reassure him, to tell him that I was going to get the nurse (I feared that the medication was doing things to his head), but he stopped me before I could, rambling on.

"So I fought." I raised my eyebrows at him. His voice and expression suddenly changed; his fear became courage and strength. He lifted his chin and furrowed his eyebrows, clenching his jaw tight. It looked as if he was fearlessly staring Death in the eye. "Goddammit, I fought for my life. I fought for what was mine. I fought against my fate." His expression softened, and he smiled at me. His expression was no longer glazed over. He was living in the present now. "And I won."

I couldn't help but smirk. "Of course you did, Dad. You always win."

He raised his eyebrows. Then he did the last thing I ever expected him to do; he threw his head back and laughed. It was a genuine laugh that drew attention to the wrinkles by his eyes and showcased his white teeth. I didn't know when the last time I heard him laugh like that was. I couldn't help but smile to myself.

He sobered after a moment and smiled softly at me. "That's very true – you know how competitive I am – but there was something else that kept me pushing, that I knew I had to fight for." He paused, expecting me to retort or joke about how that something was his job. But I was silent. It was his turn to speak his peace without being interrupted. "I just couldn't leave this earth knowing the way I'd left things with you."

I felt my heart leap into my throat. I suddenly became nervous and antsy. Finally, after all these years of anger and hurt and frustration, were my father and I about to give each other a second chance?

He let out a deep breath that practically deflated him. "I understand that you may never forgive me. And really, I can't blame you. I've been a terrible father to you." I felt a stab of pain when I saw how guilty and miserable my father looked. "Ever since your mother and I divorced, you and I…" He made a vague hand gesture. "Grew apart. You started getting in trouble at school and at home. I didn't know what you were going through. I didn't put in the effort to ask you what you were going through. I just assumed. I assumed you were in your rebellious years, and that some tough love ought to straighten you out." He let out another deep breath. It seemed to take a lot out of him, both physically and emotionally, to tell his tale.

"I got so desperate that I even sent you off to another country. But really, what gave me that right?" He shook his head. "I didn't know what you were going through; how was it fair for me to suddenly drop it on you that you're a witch and that you're getting shipped off to magic school?" I thought back to how shocked and angry I'd been when Dad had called to tell me that I'd actually been a half-witch my entire life. "The thing is, Alex, I just didn't know what else to do with you. Your mother was worried sick about you and she didn't know what to do. She and I both were worried that, at the pace you were going, you would end up in a very bad situation.

"It was all very unfair to you, I know, but we did it out of our best intentions." His voice and expression softened. "All I've ever wanted is what's best for you." He was being truly genuine and honest; I could hear the emotion and heart in his voice. "I've always been so tough on you because I believe that you have so much potential." My heart leaped into my throat again, and a burning sense of pride rushed through me. So Dad had never given up on me after all. "But I realize now that I've been too selfish – I haven't seen things from your point of view. I haven't been around to see what you've really been going through. You needed your father, and I wasn't there for you." His smile became bitter.

"I'm sorry, Alex. I'm sorry for all my years of neglect. I'm sorry for never being there for you. I'm sorry for never listening or hearing your side of the story. And I'm sorry, so sorry for all the years of hurt – both emotional and physical." His eye flickered to my cheek, where he had struck me so many Christmases ago. I could feel my composure crumble apart. "I understand if you don't wish to forgive me. I've neglected you for too long. You're eighteen now, a grown woman, and you can make your own decision about whether or not you wish for us to remain family. But I want us to start over." He smiled softly.

"Oh, Daddy." I felt my shoulders tremble as tears dripped off my chin and onto my lap. I just felt like collapsing into his arms and sobbing, but I didn't. I had to stay in control of myself long enough to tell him how sorry I was too. "Of course I forgive you. Of course we can start over. That's all I've ever wanted." I laughed a bit, wiping away a few tears. "I just wanted your love and acceptance. That's all. I didn't really want any of those presents you've gotten me for Christmas or for my birthday. All I ever wanted to have my dad by my side to support and care for me."

I didn't intend for this to make him feel bad, but it sure seemed to; he shrunk back a little, his eyebrows crinkling all sadly.

"But I made it difficult," I continued, hoping it would make him feel a little better about himself. "I sure didn't act in a way that made it seem like all I wanted was a hug from you." I smiled and shrugged sheepishly. "I acted out instead. Guess it was the only way I knew how to express myself. I'm sorry for always pushing you away and making things even more difficult for you. I'm sorry for always saying such hurtful things to you. You are my father, and you always will be."

I could tell that he recognized that I was countering what I'd said months prior: "_You may call yourself my father, but you are not, and never will be, a real father to me!" _His eye glistened.

"I love you, Dad."

For a second I thought he was going to cry. His eye was watering and he was biting down on his lip really hard, as if trying to hold his tears in. Hurriedly, he rubbed at his eye. Apparently he wasn't feeling vulnerable enough to let his daughter see him cry. Not that I could really blame him; he'd already been more vulnerable and open to me in these past few minutes than he had been in his entire life. I supposed the same could be said about me.

"Oh, honey…" His voice cracked. "I love you too. So, so much." He smiled genuinely, lighting up his face and making him look years younger. "You'll always be my baby girl."

I laughed and leaned in to give him a hug and kiss on the cheek. "And you'll always be my daddy."

* * *

><p>I spent a few more days with Dad. We caught up on a lot of things. Dad was considering to sell the house he currently lived in and, after he recovered from his accident, was contemplating vacationing in the Bahamas. I told him all about Hogwarts and how much I loved it there. When I mentioned Remus, he raised his eyebrows in surprise, but smiled in approval a moment later. He said he was eager to meet him and would happily welcome him into our family. That was a pretty big step for us, for Dad to approve of my relationship. It told me that he was finally placing his trust and faith in me. We truly were moving on and trying to improve our relationship.<p>

Mom came to visit too, to my great surprise. She was still dressed in her work uniform when she'd come in, and I didn't know who was more surprised when she stepped into the room – me, her, or Dad. After I excused myself in order for the two to have some privacy, I realized that I shouldn't have been so shocked to see Mom. I had, after all, traveled across continents to see Dad; it was less of a hassle for her to cross the country (alright, so that was debatable, considering that Luke and I cheated by Floo-powdering over). I supposed I'd been so shocked because I'd always been under the impression that Mom and Dad hated each other's guts. Obviously, though, that wasn't the case. They may have been divorced, but they still cared about one another's well-being. They had been married at one point, after all. It was only natural for them to be concerned about each other.

When I left to return to Hogwarts, I vowed that I would keep in contact with my dad, whether it be by mail or phone. He smiled and agreed to stay in touch as well. He also told me that he'd go to London to pick me up at the end of the school year (despite my concerns that it may be physically impossible for him, depending on how his physical therapy went). Before I left, Dad smiled and told me that, finally, it was time for us to become a family again. I hugged him and mom goodbye and quickly left the room before they could see my tears.

Luke had Dad's fireplace in his home be temporarily linked with the Floo Network again (with the permission of the Congress and Ministry of Magic, of course, both of which apparently existed) so I could go back to school. My trip back to Scotland was brief and slightly uncomfortable. Soon enough, I was stumbling ungracefully out of Dumbledore's fireplace and coughing up soot everywhere. His giant red bird ruffled its feathers most indignantly, but Dumbledore just laughed and graciously welcomed me back. The stars and moon twinkled through his window, and I realized that it was nightfall over here. So I smiled, thanked him for allowing me a leave of absence, and made my way towards my Common Room.

I made a slight detour, however, when I realized that the first thing I wanted to do was not to sleep but to see Remus. I hurried towards the towers, passing by many familiar faces. Nearly Headless Nick bowed to me in greeting, Professor McGonagall managed a stiff nod and murmur of condolences (which I would say was a huge step for us), and I caught sight of Lily Evans walking through the Fat Lady's portrait hole…

"Wait, Lils! Don't let that portrait close!" My voice echoed through the silence of the castle. I ran up the last flight of stairs, waving my hands frantically. The Fat Lady seemed to try to close herself faster when she caught sight of me, but Lily held the portrait open at the very last second, much to the Fat Lady's dismay.

"Alex?!" Her pretty green eyes widened in shock.

"Slytherins are not meant to stay in the Gryffindor Common Room overnight!" The Fat Lady said huffily, waving her frilly fan at me. Ever since I'd said that Stebbins would never be interested in going out with her, she'd been acting particularly rude towards me, trying her best to keep me out of the Common Room.

"I'm practically a Gryffindor myself!" I retorted, hopping through the space Lily had left open for me. I heard the Fat Lady let out an indignant huff before closing shut.

"Alex!" Lily said again, taking me in fully. She led me towards the couch and sat me down. "What're you doing here?! Where have you been for the past few days? Are you alright?" Her questions spilled out in a hurry.

I frowned, confused. "Dumbledore hasn't told you?"

She shook her head. "All of the professors have refused to tell us anything. Even Professor Slughorn said his lips were sealed." Her red eyebrows were knotted in concern. "Is everything okay?"

I recalled how Hagrid had mentioned how he wasn't supposed to tell me (or Remus) just why Dumbledore had called for me. I supposed they were keeping my matter confidential. Although that might've made my friends worry about why I had suddenly up and vanished, I was grateful that they hadn't been blabbering about my business. I could only imagine what the Slytherins had to say.

I smiled, touched by her concern. "Yeah, everything's alright. I just went back to the States to check up on my dad. He was a in a pretty nasty car accident." It was almost funny how casual I sounded about it now. Just a few days ago I was going crazy with anxiety and fear.

Lily gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. Her eyes widened. Since she had Muggle parents, surely she knew the seriousness of car accidents. "Is…is he okay?" she whispered, carefully watching me. She probably didn't expect me to casually reply,

"Oh, yeah, he's all banged up and everything, but…my dad's a tough guy." I grinned. I felt like I was bragging about him. "He'll pull through."

Lily lowered her hand and smiled genuinely. "So that's who your get toughness from, huh?" She was half-joking, half-not, and was clearly treading the matter very carefully. She didn't wanna say the wrong thing.

I laughed and shook my head. "I don't think my personal brand of 'toughness' is inherited from either of my parents." She raised an eyebrow and didn't look very convinced. "What? It's true!"

"I'll believe it when I see it," Lily smiled, folding her arms across her chest.

"Fine," I countered. "My dad'll be coming by to pick me up for summer vacation, so you'll meet him then."

"I look forward to it," she replied genuinely. Then a devious smirk crossed her features. Oh, how James would've fainted on the spot to see such a sexy expression on his darling lilypad. "And I'm assuming Remus will be meeting your father too?"

"Of course. I already told Dad all about him, actually." Lily raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Have you told your family about you and James yet?" I couldn't hide my playful grin. Lily scowled and swatted at me.

"No, because there's nothing to tell!"

"I beg to differ." I jumped off the couch and glanced at the clock; it read eleven. Lily looked as if she was going to argue with me, but I cut her off before she could begin. "Say, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but do you know where the boys are? I wanna say a quick hi before I hit the hay."

She still seemed as if she wanted to argue about the whole James business, but finally resigned. She glanced about and shrugged. "They're not around here, so they're probably in their dorm room. W-wait, where are you going?" She stood and grabbed my arm to stop me from advancing.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "To their dorm room, of course."

Her mouth dropped scandalously. "But…! You can't go into the _boys'_ dormitory, Alex!"

I snorted. "Have you tried telling Marlene that?" And, giggling, I quickly scampered off before she could lecture me.

I walked up the spiral staircase that led to the boys' dormitory, continuing to hike up until I saw a sign above a door that read 'Six Years'. Even outside of the door, I could hear Sirius's voice.

"…Moony would love it, I'm telling you!"

James sounded fed up when he replied. "For the millionth time, Padfoot, Moony has a _girlfriend_! A girlfriend who would beat the bloody snot outta us if we pulled something like that," he added as an afterthought.

Sirius snorted. "But have you forgotten? Said girlfriend is not here at the moment."

"Actually, she is."

I didn't know that Sirius was capable of the girlish shriek he let out when he saw me standing by the doorway. Peter fell off of his bed, and James accidentally squirted juice all over his face by grasping onto his juice bottle too hard. I burst out laughing.

"Bloody hell, Piers!" Sirius shouted indignantly. His face was beet red. "What the hell d'you think you're doing, sneaking up on us like that?!"

"Just wanted to give you guys a taste of your own medicine," I replied wickedly, grinning and throwing myself down on the bed beside James. "Now you know how it feels." I noted that Remus wasn't anywhere in the room.

Sirius scowled at me but James laughed good-naturedly, mussing up my hair. I scowled and swatted his hand away. "Alright, Piers, you got us. What're you doing here, anyways?" He frowned. "More importantly, where the ruddy hell have you been these past few days?!"

So I told them the same thing I'd told Lily and received the same condolences she'd offered me.

"Where's Remus?" I asked at last, sitting up.

"It's that time of the month," was Peter's reply. He had managed to climb back on his bed. I looked at him weirdly, thinking of another time of the month than the one he'd mentioned, before I realized what he meant.

"Aw, that's too bad." I frowned. Then, suddenly, I asked a question that had been the back of my mind since I'd seen the Shrieking Shack. "Say, do you guys think you could teach me to become an Animagus?" The question obviously caught them by surprise.

"What?" Sirius choked.

"I wanna be by Remus's side when he transforms," I replied eagerly. After seeing how much it seemed to pain him to transform (both emotionally and physically), I figured that by being by his side I might be able to ease some of his pain and burden. I wanted to help him in any way I could. "Do you think you could teach me?"

James was shaking his head. "Animagus magic is very dangerous and difficult to preform. You're not at that level yet."

I pursed my lips. "But you guys did it in your fifth year!" Surely my great years of wisdom would give me some sorta advantage!

"After four and a half years of researching and practicing," he pointed out. "Not to mention that we have a lot more experience in magic than you do."

I frowned. "But...I really wanna help him out." There was no hiding the disappointment in my voice. The boys glanced at each other and softened.

James smiled warmly and reassuringly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Your moral support is all the help he needs."

"Besides," Sirius added, "it'll just worry him more to think that you'd be getting in the way of danger, let alone for his sake."

I didn't reply. I saw their points; I certainly wasn't that good at magic, and Remus would've refused to let me undergo the transformation anyways, no matter how much I pleaded him. Maybe one day, when I was good enough with magic, I could transform into an Animagus and keep Remus company. But for now, I let the matter drop.

"Anyways," James said with a clear of his throat, "Padfoot, Wormtail and I were just talking about what we've got planned for Remus's birthday. He's turning seventeen, y'know – huge deal for wizards."

I raised my eyebrows. "When's his birthday?"

"Tomorrow."

My jaw dropped. "TOMORROW?!" I shouted. He had to freakin' kidding me! "Why didn't you guys tell me earlier?! I haven't gotten him anything!" Just how the heck was I supposed to get him a great gift by tomorrow?! The only thing I could think of getting him was chocolate, and I'd already done that. Besides, it was his seventeenth birthday; I had to get him something extra special.

"Calm down," Sirius muttered irritably. "Even we're still trying to work out the details of the party we're throwing him. Y'see, I wanna bring in some exotic dancers for the occasion, but Prongs here doesn't think it's a good idea." He scowled at James, who rolled his eyes.

"Exotic dancers?" I arched an eyebrow high. "It's not his freakin' bachelor party, y'know."

"Well, then, you got any better ideas?" He raised an eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest.

"Actually," James started slowly. He was eying me up and down very thoughtfully, as if considering how useful I would be in an experiment. "I think I just came up with the perfect idea."

"What is it?" Sirius, Peter, and I all asked eagerly.

James grinned. "Let's just say it'll solve both of our problems."

* * *

><p><em>So, yes, Alex has finally made up with her dad. Obviously they still have a long road ahead of them, but they're finally trying to mend their bonds. When I initially plotted out this story, I had absolutely no intentions of Alex ever getting along with her dad. In fact, she was pretty much supposed to despise him and never see him again. But as I've actually written the story and developed my characters, I realized that Alex has grown too mature to hold a grudge against her dad. So I put him in a car crash so both of them could realize what they've could missed out on if he'd died. Yeah, kinda awful of me, I know, but I believe it worked out well in the end.<em>


	28. Chapter 28

"So how does it feel to know that you can use your wand whenever and wherever you want to?" Marlene asked me as we headed up to the Common Room. I was surprised by how talkative she was being with me still, even though Padfoot wasn't walking with us. Marlene had been acting very nice and generous towards me today, and although I'd been initially confused, I had quickly realized that she must've been acting extra nice to me since it was my birthday. Padfoot had probably warned her to watch her tongue. Of course, Marlene was usually respectful towards me, but there was typically a moment or two when something rude would slip out of her mouth. Today, though, she had yet to say a single crude thing. I was really rather impressed.

I smiled and shrugged. "I don't know, it's hard to say since I'm still in school. It'll probably really hit me once I get home and realize that I can use magic there too."

She smiled understandingly and nodded. "Yeah, I was like that too. My birthday was in October, so when I went home for the holidays it was the first time I was using magic outside of school. I started bewitching everything in sight. My mum was ready to throw me out of the house, I think."

I laughed. "I suppose I better be careful then." She smiled and nodded. A brief moment of silence lapsed between us. Luckily, we had just arrived in front of the Fat Lady. After muttering the latest password, Marlene and I stepped into the Common Room and—

"SURPRISE!"

I saw all sorts of lights flash around the room as fireworks burst every which way and streamers and balloons fell down from the ceiling. An overwhelming number of familiar faces greeted me into the Common Room. Upon the ceiling was a red and gold banner that read 'Happy Seventeenth'.

"Just what is going on?!" I laughed in disbelief, hesitantly taking a few steps forward. I glanced back at Marlene to see if she was in on this, and judging by her twinkling eyes and amused grin, she had known about this all along. So this was why she'd been trying to keep me busy all day.

"What d'you think is going on?" laughed Padfoot, stepping out from the crowd. He was grinning ear-to-ear. "This is your surprise party, of course!"

"I guess this means we did well on the 'surprise' aspect of this whole thing," Prongs grinned, mussing up his hair. Briefly I wondered if there was a certain redhead in the room he was trying to impress. "You shoulda seen the look on your face, mate!"

"Oh, shut up," I muttered, grinning.

"Well, come on in," Wormtail said, beckoning me towards them. "What do you want to do first? Pin the tail on the griffin? Or maybe you'd like to throw a dart at Snivellus's picture? Or–"

"How about we open presents first?" Prongs interrupted, speaking really loudly. The crowd of friends echoed their approval by roaring and shouting.

"Uh, sure, Prongs," I said, rubbing my ear. "But maybe you could tone it down a bit? I don't want to go deaf on my birthday."

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that," Prongs replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Just wanted to make sure everyone could hear and all." Padfoot grinned slightly. "Anyways, the presents are over here…" He headed towards the left. I followed and immediately saw the overflowing pile of presents lined up along a table. Before I could tell all my friends that I didn't need anything, my attention was diverted by the large box sitting next to the table. It was a humongous box that reached my waist and was wrapped up like a present. I gawked at it.

"What is _that_?"

"It's your present," Prongs replied matter-of-factedly. He grinned widely. "It's from me, Wormtail, and Padfoot. I hope you enjoy it." He patted it.

Of course it was from them. Who else would go out of their way to get me something so extravagant? I appreciated the sentiment, but...

"I can't accept this!" I cried. "Really, you don't have to do this for me!"

"Aw, aren't you just the cutest?" Padfoot cooed at me, wiggling a finger at me. I rolled my eyes. "Really, though, Moony, we _want_ you to have this. It's your seventeenth birthday, after all; you deserve something extra special."

"Besides," Prongs said, wearing a grin that meant trouble, "we had this shipped exclusively from _overseas._"

I almost shrieked when a shower of confetti erupted open the top of the box. Once the confetti had all fallen down to the floor, I saw none other than Alex Piers standing in the box and grinning back at me. My jaw dropped.

"Happy seventeenth birthday, Remus!" she shouted, raising her hands high in the air. I didn't know what she was doing back or where she'd even gone to. There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but right now, none of them mattered. All that mattered was that she was here now.

"Alex!" I practically screamed, running up to her and embracing her tightly. I felt her laugh against me as I lifted her out of the box and set her onto the ground. Our friends whooped and cheered all around us.

"Hey, babe," she smiled at me. She was absolutely breathtaking. Her outfit fit her in all the right places, hugging her slender frame and highlighting her assets. Her hair was curled all prettily and was adorned with the silver headband that I'd gotten her for Christmas (which had me grinning like an idiot). She also appeared to be wearing makeup, although it was nothing so drastic that it was distracting – in fact, all it did was highlight her beautiful eyes and help soften her face. "I got you a present," she told me, quickly halting my eyes from roaming all over her body. My eyes met hers and I instantly knew that that look could only mean trouble.

Without further warning, she yanked me down to her level and kissed me full on the lips.

I swore I was about to fall over and die of happiness. Her lips felt so velvety smooth and soft, and oh how perfectly they seemed to mold together with mine. Her mouth and breath was hot but certainly not uncomfortable. The crowd around us erupted into so much noise that I briefly wondered if McGonagall would run in yelling at us to quiet down, but I realized that I could really care less. Nothing could bring me down from the sort of high I felt now. So I wrapped my arms around her waist and tugged her closer to me, deepening our kiss. I chuckled throatily when I felt her surprise, and she broke apart with a laugh soon afterwards.

I was a bit proud to see a flush upon her cheeks and her chest heaving up and down in exertion. It was rare to see Alex so disorientated, so I took some pride in the thought that I was the one that had her looking so alluringly out of breath.

"That," I said at last, once I caught my breath, "was the best birthday present. Ever."

And she just smirked that damningly sexy smirk of hers. "Wait until you see what I've got planned for you later."

I could feel the flush on my cheeks spread to my neck and ears. She laughed softly at me, probably finding my embarrassment endearing. Prongs approached us, handing each of us a glass of champagne and wearing a goofy looking grin.

"Happy birthday, Remus!" he shouted for what must've been the tenth time today, lifting a glass of champagne in the air. "May all your wishes come true!"

All I could think about was how all my wishes had already come true. I didn't have a chance to voice this, however, as the crowd echoed Prongs's toast.

So I smiled and lifted my glass in the air. "Thank you all! You guys are what made this birthday special!" I grinned and took my very first legal sip of alcohol. I was unaccustomed to the bubbling feeling that went down my throat as I drank the champagne, but I figured it was better than the burning I felt whenever I downed a shot of firewhiskey. Alex smiled and clinked her glass against mine before taking a small sip of her drink. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Was she trying to watch her alcohol intake tonight?

"Sorry we didn't get you any exotic dancers, mate," Padfoot shouted as he sauntered over to my side. He slung an arm over my shoulder and grinned at me. "Prongs thought your girlfriend wouldn't appreciate them."

I laughed and nudged Alex playfully. Of course she wouldn't appreciate exotic dancers; that was a no-brainer! Alex, however, was having none of it. She raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest defiantly.

"Didn't you read the label on the present, Sirius?" I could tell by the tone of her voice that her thoughts were anything but clean. "I'm a two-in-one package; you don't need exotic dancers when you have me." She smirked winningly and raised her eyebrow higher as if to challenge Padfoot to retort. I immediately felt my cheeks burn at her insinuation.

Prongs practically doubled over in laughter. Padfoot raised his eyebrows briefly in surprise before smirking deviously and laughing. He nudged me in the side and winked knowingly. My glass cup almost slipped out of my hands, but I quickly regained my grip on it before it fell.

"Do I get to get a dance too, Piers?" he teased her, not ready to surrender just yet. She rolled her eyes.

"You get enough from Marlene, don't you?" she retorted smartly. Prongs snickered and Padfoot pursed his lips. "Now you better go after Peter and make sure he doesn't get too wasted." She nodded towards our friend, who was getting rather handsy with a bottle of whiskey. "God knows what'll happen."

I knew that she was just finding an excuse to shoo them away. Prongs and Padfoot also seemed to get the picture, since they quickly made their way towards Wormtail. Not before sending me one last wink, though. I sighed and shook my head, smiling slightly. Sometimes I just didn't know what to do with them.

"So," Alex started, fixing my tie, "how've you been?"

"I've missed you," I said quietly, taking her hands in mine so that she would pause in her work to look up at me. It had felt like an especially grueling and long week without her, especially due to my transformation. "Where've you been?" There were plenty more questions I was dying to ask, but I didn't want to overwhelm her.

She smiled softly at me. "I've missed you too." And she went on to tell me how she'd gone all the way back the States to visit her father, who had been in a car crash. She had only just returned to Hogwarts last night.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your father," I said sympathetically. "Is he alright?"

"Oh, yeah, he's fine." She was surprisingly dismissive. "He'll be back on his feet in no time."

I smiled genuinely. "I'm happy to hear that he's okay." I paused and hesitated, rubbing circles over her palm with my thumb. "Are _you_ okay?" I could only imagine how much emotional stress she must've undergone to visit her father. It must not have been easy for her to see him in such a state, especially since they didn't have a very good relationship.

She smiled back. "Yeah, I'm okay. Don't worry about me." She sounded really quite genuine in her response.

"You're sure?" I asked, worried that she wasn't telling me everything.

She laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. I appreciate your concern, really, I do. You don't need to worry, though. I'm doing just fine."

"Alright," I gave in after a moment. "But if you ever–"

"I know, Remus, I know," she interrupted with a soft laugh. Her eyes twinkled in amusement, and the hand she put on my arm was warm and affectionate. "I can tell you anything. I'll give you more details later, okay? For now, let's just celebrate your birthday."

I was about to argue and tell her that she ought to tell me what was on her mind now instead of waiting until later, but the kiss she pulled me into made me lose my train of thought. By the time we broke apart I was a blubbering fool and had completely forgotten what I had been about to say.

"Now," she grinned, taking my arm, "I think it's high time we joined the party."

~-x-~-x-~-x-~

I was quite impressed with all the effort and time my mates must've put into this surprise party for it to have been such a success. Of course, that didn't surprise me; they always did things to the extreme. The Common Room had pretty much been turned into a mini-carnival. I was a bit surprised that very few people had actually drank enough alcohol to become drunk; most people appeared tipsy or sober. They probably figured that it might've been rude to get wasted at my birthday party. I was taking it easy myself. It may have been legal for me to become utterly trashed now, but I didn't quite see the fun in blacking out and remembering nothing the next day. I wanted to soak this moment in and remember all the fun I had tonight with my friends.

Halfway throughout the party I had lost a hold of Alex. I was a bit worried that she may not be able to control her alcohol, but reminded myself that she had been taking it easy and was probably okay. Even if she was drunk, there were plenty of people around to help her. Nobody was dumb enough to take advantage of her, let alone at my birthday party. Even Stebbins wasn't that low.

When the party simpered down and my guests began to say their goodnights and goodbyes, however, I realized that Alex was nowhere in sight. It was unlike her to leave without saying anything, unless she had a good reason. Worried that something had happened to her (and thinking it had something to do with her dad), I quickly approached my mates, who were still throwing darts at Snape's portrait. Padfoot got him right on the nose.

"Bullseye!" he shouted, thumping his fist in the air.

"Bullshit," retorted Prongs. "His nose is the biggest part of his face; it's the easiest to hit!"

Wormtail doubled over in laughter, pounding the floor with his fist. Briefly I glanced about, worried that Lily would catch a glimpse of what they were doing, but quickly remembered that she had already bade me goodnight.

"Hey, Moony," Padfoot greeted me, noticing my arrival. "You wanna try?" He offered me a dart but I shook my head.

"Have you guys seen Alex?" I asked worriedly, glancing around again as if she would pop out from beneath a table. "I haven't seen her for a while now."

"Piers?" Prongs asked, facing me. "Maybe she went off to bed."

"Without saying goodbye to me?" That wasn't like her. Prongs shrugged.

"Actually," Padfoot said slowly, "I think she left something for you on the table by the fireplace."

Wormtail snickered and covered his mouth. Prongs kicked him in the side and smiled all innocently – _too_ innocently – at me. Padfoot's lips twitched. I raised my eyebrows at them, suspecting that there was something they were hiding something from me.

"Guys?" I asked slowly. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Padfoot asked, feigning innocence.

"You're acting weird," I deadpanned, folding my arms across my chest. "I know there's something you guys are planning."

Prongs snorted and mussed up his hair. "Please, Moony," he said, sounding mildly offended, "aren't we always weird?"

"He's right," Wormtail giggled, nodding vigorously.

I sighed. "You're not gonna tell me what's going on, are you?"

"Nope," laughed Padfoot, finally giving up on the act. "Just go and read the letter. Trust me, it'll help."

I gave them one last dubious look before heading off towards the fireplace. Indeed, on the table in front of it was an envelope addressed to me in Alex's loopy handwriting. On top of the envelope was a bar of chocolate. I picked up both and opened up the envelope. Instead of the letter I was expecting, however, I was greeted with lines and lines of what appeared to be riddles. On the top of the page Alex explained,

_Hey, Remus. If you're reading this it must mean that you a) realized that I'm gone or b) had this envelope brought to your attention by the boys. I'm hoping it's a), though. _

_ Anyways, I still have a little surprise for you tonight, but I'm making you work for it. Yup, I'm making you work on your birthday. Sorry, babe, but I'll promise it'll all be worth it. Your present is hiding from you in this castle, and you have to use the following clues to find your way to it. And that bar of chocolate you're holding in your hand? It'll come in handy later._

_ On your mark…get set…go!_

I smiled and shook my head. I wouldn't have been surprised if my mates had done something like this for me, but Alex? Since she was always so straightforward and liked to keep things simple, I would've thought she would just hand me my present instead of making me go on a scavenger hunt for it. I was all for it, however, and was excited to see what was in store for me.

Game on, babe.

~-x-~-x-~-x-~

_Congrats, you've made it far. I hope you aren't too fed up with me by now._ I chuckled and shook my head. I could never be fed up with her. _Now, this last challenge is actually the hardest of them all. You may not think so, but you have to really, REALLY be emotionally invested in this. You ready? _I nodded. _I need you to walk down this hall and, when you see the weird-looking tapestry of trolls doing ballet (?), walk past it three times. All the while, you have to really, REAAAAALLLY think about how much you want to see me. I know, it sounds stupid, but trust me, it'll work out in the end. If you do it right, you'll know what to do. You'll almost there, babe! You can do this!_

Her words of encouragement were all I needed to talk myself into doing this last step. I took a deep breath and followed her instructions exactly. I walked past the tapestry three times, and thought so hard about how much I wanted to see her I nearly got a headache.

And that was when I saw a huge door emerge from the wall. It was as if an invisibility cloak had been stripped from the wall to reveal the hidden door. I rubbed my eyes and pinched myself to make sure that I wasn't dreaming. The door was still there. I quickly glanced around to see if anybody had seen what I had just witnessed, but the hallway was empty.

I glanced back at the door, hesitant about stepping through it. Who knew what this door led to?

And that was when it started to fade away. My eyes widened in panic and, scared that I wouldn't be able to make the door reappear, I quickly ran through it. I found myself skidding into a dim and unfamiliar room. I didn't have the chance to comprehend what had just happened, however, because something in the center of the room grabbed my attention.

There, lying on a king-sized bed, was Alex. She was dressed in nothing but lingerie. She was facing me with her head lying against her hands, and she smiled when she saw me. My cheeks burned and I quickly glanced away, feeling as if I shouldn't stare. By the way she was dressed, though, clearly the whole point was for me to stare and gawk.

"Do you still have that bar of chocolate, Remus?" she asked me. She spoke as if she was asking me about the weather (and like it was completely normal to ask such a question dressed only in undergarments). I practically choked on my own spit. It was the last thing I'd been expecting her to say.

"Uh, yeah." If my sweaty palms weren't melting it as we speak.

"Can you bring it over here?"

"Over…over to you?" My voice was unnaturally high.

"Yeah, if you don't mind."

I gulped nervously. Slowly, cautiously, hesitantly, I made my way towards her, staring at everything in the room but her. I noted that there were balls of light scattered about the room to light it up but still give it a dim, romantic feel.

I stopped in front of the bed and, while staring at my own two feet, extended the chocolate bar clumsily towards her. I felt her take the chocolate from me and heard some rustling of blankets as she moved around.

"There we go," she said, sounding accomplished. "You completed my heart, Remus." Her voice softened, and I could hear the smile in it.

I finally looked at her, my eyebrows raised slightly. I tried my hardest to look into her eyes and nothing else.

"What?" I asked softly. Her smile widened and she jumped off the bed, gesturing to what I thought were just the blankets.

"You completed my heart," she repeated quietly. There was a strong emotion in her voice that made it warble slightly.

It was hard to look away from that expression of hers, but I eventually did. I stepped closer to the bed to see just what exactly she was gesturing to. I laughed in surprise when I realized what she was talking about. There were chocolate bars on the bed that were arranged into the shape of a heart. My chocolate bar must've made it a complete heart.

"You like it?" she asked me, seeming to relax a little now that I'd laughed.

"I love it," I replied sincerely, smiling at her. "Do I get to eat all of them?"

She threw her head back and laughed. Although I usually found it charming when she laughed like that, the amount of skin it exposed suddenly made me feel jittery all over again. "If they don't all melt by the time we're done tonight, then sure." She raised her eyebrows meaningfully and smirked seductively.

I felt my blood rush to more than just my cheeks.

She slowly stepped towards me. It almost appeared as if she was gliding. At this point I found it hard to stop myself from eying her up and down. I realized now that the outfit she'd been wearing earlier had done her no justice; this surely showcased her body far better.

She stopped in front of me. Her hair bounced and inadvertently brought my attention towards her chest. I had to bite my teeth together and quickly glance away to stay in control of myself. I took a deep breath through my nose and returned my attention to her, this time staring her in the eye. This didn't quite calm me the way I was hoping it would, however. There was an attractive flush on her cheeks and her lips were slightly parted, oh so very, _very_ temptingly. Her eyes sparkled at me.

"Listen, Remus," she said quietly and surprisingly seriously, "I don't want you to be uncomfortable. I understand if you don't feel ready for this. I know we haven't been dating for very long yet, and maybe you're not ready to take this next step with me. And that's alright. I respect that. I can wait."

Damn her for making it all the more tempting. Obviously that had not been her intentions at all, but the way she cared so much about me that she was willing to wait for me made me want her all the more. "Are you…are you ready for this?" My mouth felt dry; it was difficult to speak.

She smiled softly and nodded. "Yeah, I am. I want you, Remus." I shivered. She spoke so firmly, so defiantly, so clearly that I had no reason to doubt her. I was beginning to feel dizzy; my heart was racing; my blush deepened. "I want us to be one."

Those words, spoken from her lips, were almost my undoing. I swore aloud and stomped my foot. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Sorry," I muttered, running my fingers through my hair. I took a few deep breaths and laughed nervously. "This is just a lot to take in."

She gently placed a hand on my arm. "Like I said, I don't want you to feel pressured into this." She looked sheepishly down at herself. "Sorry, I guess I shouldn't have dressed like this…I just wanted to surprise you, that's all."

"Well, you certainly surprised me."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise and laughed. "I guess I'll give you some time, then. I'll just, y'know, get dressed and–"

"Wait, Alex." She paused, staring up at me expectantly. I hesitated, biting my lip. "Are you…have you ever…?" I couldn't bring myself to fully ask the question. It was embarrassing and terribly rude of me, but I felt that I couldn't go through with this unless I asked it.

She smiled understandingly. "No, I'm not, and yes, I have."

It was really quite amazing how simply she could state it, how she wasn't ashamed of it. It was who she was, and if I couldn't accept that, I might as well leave now.

Of course I was completely fine with that. I accepted that about her. It would still be a first time for both of us, in a certain sense, since we had never done it together. But I felt more nervous than before. What if I couldn't..._perform_ as well as her former lover?

I scratched the back of my head uncomfortably. "Oh, well, err, I-I've never done this before," I admitted, clearing my throat. "Well, I mean, I've done some other stuff before, but never…err…" I tugged uncomfortably at the collar of my shirt. I never ceased to amaze me how easily and openly she could discuss these matters. I couldn't even bring myself to say the actual words.

She smiled and took my hand. "It's okay, Remus. It'll come naturally to you, I promise." I relaxed slightly, surprised by the genuine warmth of her words. "Don't feel like there's some stupid standard you have to live up to." Were my worries that obvious? "You'll do just fine." She placed both of her hands gently against my chest and smiled reassuringly up at me. "I want to make love to _you_, nobody else."

I could only imagine how red my face turned. She laughed affectionately and kissed me softly on the cheek.

I closed my eyes and let out a shaky breath. I leaned in towards her and pressed my forehead against hers. Her hot breath sent a shiver down my spine. "Do you trust me?" I whispered, opening my eyes to look into hers. They glistened with emotion as she replied,

"Forever and always, babe."

I was so touched by the emotion in her voice and expression that I felt my eyes brim with tears. Nobody could bring down my walls of fear (the fear of hurting someone I cared so dearly for, the fear of being shunned and cast aside for what I was) and my walls of defense (always saying I was okay, always acting stronger than I felt) like she did.

She smiled softly and kissed me gently on the cheek. Wiping away my tears, she searched my eyes for an answer. "Are you sure about this?" she breathed.

I smiled. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life." And I kissed her soundly.

* * *

><p><em>So, yes, Alex and Remus have taken it to the 'next level'. That scene was most definitely the hardest to write, because it's about more than just sex; it's about being ready to take that next step together and allowing yourself to be vulnerable. Initially I had this chapter written from Alex's perspective, but I realized halfway through how boring it was and that it would make more sense to have it written in Remus's POV. He's a lot shyer about this stuff, after all, and is just self-conscious in general. Alex is obviously a lot more confident in herself and is completely comfortable with her self-image. So I thought it'd be interesting to see Remus's thoughts for such a special occasion.<em>

_And a special shout out to _MissLoremasterSarah_ and _The Almight Pyro _for predicting that this would happen. I'm pretty impressed. XD And congrats to all my other readers out there who also might've figured it out ahead of time. Until next time! (only 3-4 chapters left! :O)_


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